Study: Accidents More Severe When Driving Distracted

Law Firm News Wire reports that distracted driving is shown to cause more severe accidents. A study conducted by the Risk Institute at Ohio State University found that accidents caused by distracted driving are more severe and cause more serious injuries and more deaths than crashes with other causes. The study proved that distracted driving crashes are the most severe when they occur as rear-end collisions or while the driver is traveling through work zones.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, approximately 9% of all fatal crashes in 2016 were caused by distracted driving. The study looked at police data between 2013 to 2017. During that time frame, the number of distracted driving crashes increased nationwide.

The study also determined that in-vehicle distractions cause about 48% of all accidents. The study also showed that drivers aged 20 to 24 caused the highest percentage of crashes.

When people hear the term “distracted driving,” they now almost always think of someone talking, texting, or web surfing on a smartphone. Distracted driving can mean any kind of distraction, from changing the radio station to turning around to hush noisy children in the back seat. Currently, however, most states and lawmakers are concentrating on being distracted by cell phones. 15 states currently ban the use of a hand-held cellphone while driving. 48 states have a texting-while-driving ban in place. 39 states have banned all cell phone use while driving. Many states have made the texting ban a primary law, meaning that a police officer can pull a person over if they’re witnessed texting.