Distracted Driving Admitted by Four of Five Drivers: Study
There’s a fighting chance you’re guilty of it and so is your neighbor because according to a new Harris Poll, 80 percent of drivers participate in distracting behavior behind the wheel.
According to the study, four out of five drivers admit to taking distracting action while driving during the course of a typical month — who doesn’t? That’s where the issue turns very grey: the list of 37 actions includes things like taking a sip from a drink, but also counts more egregious offenses like sending or reading text messages. Harris also found that males were more likely to engage in distracting activities than females.
The poll found that it’s actually more common for drives to answer calls (an average 11 per month), than it is to drink a beverage (eight times monthly). Distracted driving is an issue championed by the Obama administration’s transportation secretary Ray LaHood, though the cause is gaining traction quickly.
That’s a good thing because the 18 to 34 age group accounts for the most overwhelming admission to distracted practices and the longer lawmakers wait the more that group will expand. Government statistics indicate that 3,092 people were killed in distracted driving-related crashes in 2010 and that an additional 416,000 were injured.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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