If you were hoping that the amount of people using mobile devices while driving was going to go down as crashes and citations go up, you may be disappointed with a new local research survey. The survey was conducted with input from drivers in and around the Philadelphia area. The bad news is that 75 percent of respondents admitted to using a mobile device while driving. Worse yet, 91 percent were millennials, 79 percent were part of Generation X and 64 percent were baby boomers.
While it looks like the younger generation is the guiltiest of distracted driving, those who are older are still tied to their devices and not swayed to stop with the dangers they are exhibiting.
What are they looking at?
The survey not only asked if they were looking at their devices while driving, but what they were looking at. Here are the top activities:
- 48 percent are reading and replying to texts and emails
- 23 percent are looking at social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
- 18 percent are recording video
What will stop distracted drivers?
Unfortunately, it seems that the main deterrent for people to stop driving distracted is for them to get into an accident. While new laws that can incur large fines has helped keep some people from looking at their devices, it has not done nearly enough. As long as everyone leads busy lives and feels like they need to constantly be connected, distracted driving may remain a public safety health issue crisis.
There are apps you can put on your phone to disable it while moving and you can even install face recognition software in your car to yell at you if it detects your eyes have been averted. There is even help coming from car insurance companies that have launched their own apps to reward drivers for good driver behavior.
Even though distracted driving has been around since the invention of the car, doing things such as messing with the radio, scolding the kids in the back seat or eating a sandwich are still dangerous to do, but these are only temporary distractions. The constant holding of a mobile device and checking it for updates and messaging can go on for every second of a car ride.
Since so many area drivers are most likely driving while distracted, there is a good chance one might run into you. If this is the case, and you are injured, you should contact a personal injury attorney who can work to get you back on your feet.