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WASHINGTON D.C. – Despite scientific research to the contrary, two-thirds of Americans who use cell phones while driving believe it is safer to talk on a hands-free cell phone than on a hand-held device according to a new study by the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety.
As the number of cell phone subscribers and proportion of drivers using cell phones continues to increase, studies that have analyzed the cell phone records of crash-involved drivers have reported that using a cell phone while driving makes you four times as likely to be involved in a crash.
“Too many Americans are driving with the false sense of security that hands-free devices are somehow safer, which could be a deadly mistake,” says AAA Foundation president Peter Kissinger. “Evidence shows that using a hands-free phone while driving impairs your reaction time to critical events and increases your crash risk about the same as if you were using a hand-held phone. Drivers need to be aware of the dangers of distracted driving and pay full attention while they are behind the wheel.”
Two recent AAA Foundation surveys of the motoring public have found:• Over half of U.S. drivers admit to using a cell phone while driving (In one survey, 53 percent of drivers reported having used a cell phone while driving at least occasionally in the month before they were interviewed; in the other survey, 61 percent said the same.
• In both surveys, one in six admit to regularly using a cell phone while driving.
• Of those who admitted using their cell phone while driving, 60 percent used a hand-held device and 34 percent used a hands-free phone.
• One in seven admitted text messaging while driving in the past 30 days.
Young drivers were overwhelmingly more likely than older drivers to text message, and somewhat more likely to talk on cell phones while driving. For example, nearly half of drivers ages 18 to 24 admitted texting while driving at least occasionally, as compared to less than five percent of those ages 45 and older.
While cell phone laws vary from state to state, no state has completely banned all cell phone use by drivers. Hand-held cell phone use by drivers is illegal in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia. Some states ban all cell phones while driving for particular groups of drivers like teens (18 states and D.C.) or school bus drivers, except in emergency situations (17 states and D.C.). Laws that specifically ban text messaging while driving exist in Alaska, California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington state.
For more information, visit www.AAAFoundation.org. For a breakdown of laws by state, visit www.AAAPublicAffairs.com.
