Texting is the number one cause of distraction related accidents, and it is also the cause of many of the most fatal accidents. Drivers are twenty-three times more likely to crash when texting, and thirty-four percent of people have admitted to texting while driving.
But texting, while the most dangerous, isn’t the only phone related distraction on the road. Last year, as many as twenty-three percent of all accidents were the result of phone usage. Just reaching for a phone makes a person 1.4 times more likely to crash than if they had been keeping all eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel. One in five drivers has even admitted to driving while using their smart phone to surf the internet. People are using Facebook and Twitter while they drive and it is causing more dangerous accidents.
Not far behind cell phone usage is cosmetic application and eating. Fifty-one percent of drivers have admitted that their driving has been compromised due to their decision to eat or drink while driving. Five percent of drivers have admitted to applying lipstick, other make-up, or perfume while driving.
Accidents also happen when people slow down to look at a wreck. As people slow the vehicle to look at an accident that has already occurred they take their eyes off of the road ahead and also hold up the traffic behind them. The more jammed up traffic becomes, the more likely that an accident will occur.
Other causes include listening to music and even sleeping. Sixty-one percent of drivers questioned have admitted that listening to music or the radio while driving has actually distracted them from driving. This is primarily due to drivers looking at the screens of their iPods or fiddling with the dials of the radio.
New Buick and GMC Vehicles with the GMC IntelliLink system do not have this issue, as the system is designed to turn on the radio and other features via voice commands with minimal hand interaction so that hands can stay on the wheel as much as possible.
The law is increasingly trying to crack down on these issues. Ten states have laws that prevent all drivers from using their cell phones or handheld electronics behind the wheel for any reason. Thirty-two states have laws that stop young and new drivers from using cell phones and portable devices. And Thirty-nine states have laws that prevent all drivers from texting while driving.
If you want a new vehicle with great connectivity to Bluetooth and wireless, come by and check out Liberty Buick GMC. Our vehicles come equipped with technology that lets you use your mobile devices entirely hands free, so that you can send the messages without worry!
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