Realities of distracted driving- drunk doesn’t cover it

Distracted driving is new worry for drivers. The belief of most is that teen drivers are the ultimate distracted drivers, but new studies are showing exactly the opposite. Between texting, phone calls and having the internet in their hands, adults are actually the most distracted drivers on the road. What's the real risk, though?

Resource for this article: Realities of distracted driving - Drunk doesn't begin to cover it by Car Deal Expert

Who really is the distracted drivers?

A recent poll from the Pew Internet and American Life Project shows that adults typically tend to be one of the most distracted drivers; 47 percent of adults say that they have sent text messages when driving. A full 75 percent of adults use their cell phones when they are driving, while only 52 percent of 16 and 17-year-olds do. On top of that, more than 40 percent of people say they have been in a automobile where somebody else's cell phone use has put them in serious danger.

All the effects of driving distracted

Distracted driving is a bad idea known to all drivers. Scary results came out of a recent University of Utah study. Driving with a .08 blood alcohol level -- the legal limit in many states -- increases the risk of a crash by four times. Driving while texting, though, has been shown to increase the chance of a crash by up to eight times. In other words, driving distracted is twice as dangerous as driving drunk.

Laws for distracted driving

Many states have passed laws against distracted driving. There are eight states that restrict handheld cell phones during driving; 29 states ban "novice drivers," and 18 states ban bus drivers from using cell phones at all while driving. Thirty states and Washington D.C. ban all text messaging while driving. There is a list of cell phone bans on the Governors Highway Safety Association site.

Discover more data:

Pew Internet and American Life Project

pewinternet.org/

University of Utah

psych.utah.edu/lab/appliedcognition/

Governors Highway Safety Association website

ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html