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News › More Collisions are Being Caused by Distracted Drivers
New NHSTA study points to cell phones and PDA's.
The highway death rate increased in 2005 for the first time in about 20 years, and a new federal report suggests that driving distracted may be responsible for nearly 8 in 10 crashes.
Preliminary figures from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that despite increased usage of safety belts and attention to drunken driving, 43,200 people died in car crashes last year, up from 42,636 in 2004.
In a separate report issued the same day, NHTSA and Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute released research findings that driving distracted is a more serious problem than previously known, and indicated nearly 80% of crashes and near-crashes involve driver inattention up to three seconds before the incident. The most common causes of distraction were cellphone use and drowsiness.
The research, which NHTSA called "breakthrough," tracked the drivers of 100 vehicles equipped with video and sensor devices for more than one year, providing more than 43,300 hours of data. In nearly 2 million miles of driving, 241 drivers of the cars were involved in 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes.
Connecticut, New York and New Jersey ban drivers from using handheld cellphones. Washington, D.C., bans use of handheld cellphones or any other electronic device. New Hampshire bans all driver distractions.
A government report last year found that about 10 percent of drivers are using cell phones.
Automakers are refining technologies that sense when a vehicle is about to crash
and apply brakes and steer the car out of trouble.
Posted by editor on Sunday, May 28, 2006 (02:25:16) (423 reads)
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