State Farm recently put a survey online asking people about their cell phone habits while driving. The results, though unscientifically found, are interesting. Almost 20% of the people who took the survey admitted to using their cell phones to access the Internet while they were driving. This would mean that one in five drivers are distracted while driving, because they are online.
Drivers who are distracted, are more likely to get into accidents than are drivers who are paying attention to the road, and the other vehicles they share it with. This is true no matter what the distraction happens to be.
Drivers who are impaired because they are under the influence of alcohol (or other drugs) are distracted, and unsafe, drivers. This is not news, and I think most people would accept that statement as being true. Did you know that talking on the phone while driving also makes you a distracted driver? Not only is your attention split between your phone conversation and the road in front of you, but you are using one hand to hold the phone, instead of to drive. Some would consider the use of a hands free device to be a safer way to use the phone while driving, but this is also a distraction. Those who are using their phones to surf the internet while driving are clearly distracted, because their eyes are not on the road.
State Farm conducted an online survey in November of 2010 which asked people questions about some of their driving habits. In this survey, 19% of people said that they used their cell phones to access the internet while they were driving at least once a week. This means that one in five drivers are focusing their attention on the little screen on their phone, instead of on the road. A total of 35% of people who took the survey said they send or receive text messages while driving at least once a week. The survey results also showed that 74% of people make or receive calls while driving, at least once a week.
According to State Farm, the majority of the people who admitted to surfing the Internet while driving were under the age of 30. The insurance company is interested in learning more about the driving habits of younger adults, because people in that age group are the largest users of cell phones. Of those who surf while driving, many do it while stopped at a red light, but some do it while they are engaged in driving down the road.
Image by Cheon Fong Liew on Flickr