Put Down the Phone When Behind the Wheel

Texting while driving has proven to be lethal. But while awareness of the deadly distraction has grown and efforts to ban it are under way nationally, it remains a killer, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Despite evidence that distracted driving is lethal, drivers continue to talk and text while behind the wheel.
Photo Credit: *Contributed*

by Julie Curtis

02/01/2012 5:00 a.m.

Here are some alarming statistics from the NHTSA regarding distracted driving:

• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in the United States because of distracted driving. Of those, 995 were reported to have involved the use of cellphones.

• In that year, 24,000 people were injured in accidents in which cellphone use was reported as factor.

• The group with the highest percentage of cellphone use in crashes is 30- to 39-year-olds.

• Cellphone use, whether handheld or hands-free, delays a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood-alcohol concentration level that is above the legal limit.

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