Driven to Distraction
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| Tue, 07-21-2009 - 10:46am |
Driven to Distraction
U.S. Withheld Data on Risks of Distracted Driving
In 2003, researchers at a federal agency proposed a long-term study of 10,000 drivers to assess the safety risk posed by cellphone use behind the wheel.
They sought the study based on evidence that such multitasking was a serious and growing threat on America’s roadways.
But such an ambitious study never happened. And the researchers’ agency, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, decided not to make public hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the use of phones by drivers — in part, officials say, because of concerns about angering Congress.
On Tuesday, the full body of research is being made public for the first time by two consumer advocacy groups, which filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for the documents. The Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen provided a copy to The New York Times, which is publishing the documents on its Web site.
In interviews, the officials who withheld the research offered their fullest explanation to date.
More see link.......
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/technology/21distracted.html
Research on cell-phone-use-while-driving quashed by feds
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/2009/07/21/research-on-cell-phone-use-while-driving-quashed-by-feds/?cxntfid=blogs_jay_bookman_blog
You’ve seen it done.
You’ve done it yourself.
And you probably know that it’s dangerous.
However, research compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and now released thanks to a lawsuit documents the high risks involved in using the cell phone while driving. (We won’t even go into texting, which tanks the danger to whole ‘nother level.)
According to the New York Times:
The highway safety researchers estimated that cellphone use by drivers caused around 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents over all in 2002….
The research mirrors other studies about the dangers of multitasking behind the wheel. Research shows that motorists talking on a phone are four times as likely to crash as other drivers, and are as likely to cause an accident as someone with a .08 blood alcohol content.
The three-person research team based the fatality and accident estimates on studies that quantified the risks of distracted driving, and an assumption that 6 percent of drivers were talking on the phone at a given time. That figure is roughly half what the Transportation Department assumes to be the case now.
The Times reports that the data in question were available back in 2003, but officials at the Department of Transportation blocked public release, fearing the agency would draw punitive action by congressional budget committees and criticism by the cell phone industry.
Rather than risk getting people angry, the federal agency charged with highway safety chose to just keep quiet about it, ignoring the fact that its silence probably contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people a year. Even now, the data are becoming available only because outside groups filed lawsuits forcing its release.



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**It's become so true!
**I had tobbaco chew all over the roof of my car! **
Oh yuck!
If you were to poll people who drive poorly while talking on the cell phone, I'll bet they'd be the first to tell you that they're great drivers, even while talking on the phones.
I personally do not think a phone call while driving is that dangerous. Dialing or texting while driving is, but that's why we have bluetooth, speed dials, and voice dialing. If used properly, what is the difference between this and talking to your passengers?
I do, however, think we all need to use more common sense and make sure we are alert when we drive.
"I personally do not think a phone call while driving is that dangerous."
Much depends on the depth of concentration needed to talk on the cell. For instance is it a one sentence answer or an annoying discussion?
Some can barely chew gum & walk at the same time.
I saw a man talking on his cell while the lights ran though a cycle of changes. Obviously he was paying attention.
Welcome to the board. :)
Welcome to In The News!
I have to disagree.
I agree 100%! We got our first cell phone in 2007 when we took our grandson to Disney World. NOBODY needs to be yacking on a cell phone all the time.
I've had mine since 2000, but I had to have it for work.
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