Cell Phone Use More Dangerous Behind The Wheel Than Being Legally Intoxicated
Cell Phone Distractions
As an experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney I have written a lot lately about distracted driving. Since the majority of automobile accidents are caused by distracted drivers I thought it would be important to share with you the finding of some recent research related to driving and cell phone use.
It is estimated that over 100 million cellular subscribers in the United States use their phone while driving. Because of safety concerns associated with cell phone use while driving, several legislative efforts have been made to restrict cell phone use on the road . In most cases, the legislation restricts the use of hand-held phones but permits the use of hands-free phones while driving. In fact, several researchers have reported that driving is impaired by concurrent cell phone use, however, the precise impact of cell-phone driving on traffic safety was unknown until now. One well respected research team found epidemiological evidence suggesting that “the relative risk of being in a traffic accident while using a cell-phone is similar to the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit”.
A recent study conducted by the University of Utah has found that this is in fact, the case. The study found that although intoxicated drivers and cell phone using drivers performed differently during the tests, with cell phone user exhibiting sluggish behavior (slower reactions), intoxicated drivers being more aggressive. The key finding was that cell phone users actually exhibited greater impairments (i.e. more accidents and less responsive driving behavior) than drivers who were legally intoxicated. Another important finding was that there was little difference between hand-held and hands-free cell phones.
If you or a loved one is injured or killed in a Tennessee car crash caused by a distracted driver you owe it to yourself to contact the experienced Tennessee automobile accident attorney’s at Phillip Miller & Associates and take advantage of a free consultation to find out about your rights and remedies.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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