Researchers at the University of Utah tell us that driving while using a cell phone is as dangerous as drunk driving.

In that article, Psychology Professor David Strayer, the study's lead author, is quoted as saying: “Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive. The level of impairment is very similar.”

This isn’t a scolding.  I know how tempting it is to use our drive time to take care of business or talk to spouses, kids and friends. However, cell phones are a hot topic of discussion and for good reasons.

Here are some statistics from the National Safety Council, the organization that promotes research on issues that affect our health and safety. Credible research means we are getting facts…not just someone’s opinions.
The facts speak for themselves Here are some of their conclusions:

• Using cell phones while driving is a high risk behavior. It has significant impact on crashes. More than 50 different scientific studies have identified the risks associated with cell phone use while driving.
• More than 100 million people use cell phones while driving. An insurance company’s public opinion poll showed 81 percent admitted to talking on a cell phone while driving.
• The Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimates the annual cost of crashes caused by cell phone use to be $43 billion.
• Drivers who use cell phones are four times more likely to be in a crash while using a cell phone. (This is from the New England Journal of Medicine’s examination of hospital records and a 2005 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study linking crashes to cell phone records.)
• Cell phone use contributes to an estimated 6 percent of all crashes, which equates to 646,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths each year. (Harvard Center for Risk Analysis).
• Talking on a cell phone is significantly more dangerous than talking to a passenger while driving, according to research done by the University of Utah.

How Dangerous Is It?

There isn’t much debate among people who are researching this topic—driving and cell phones don’t mix.  Using a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk.

If you are wondering why you haven’t heard more about this, there is a report that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gathered hundreds of pages of research and warnings about the hazards of drivers using cell phones, but, according to a July 21, 2009 Associated Press story, it withheld the information from the public partly out of fear of angering Congress.

Critics say that the failure of the Transportation Department to pursue the role of driving distractions in car crashes has resulted in traffic deaths and allowed multitasking while driving to grow.

The research findings were obtained by the Center for Auto Safety and Public Citizen through Freedom of Information requests.

Draft recommendations from NHTSA included that "drivers not use these devices when driving except in an emergency."

Legislation forbidding the use of hand-held cell phones while driving was not recommended because it does not address the problem and may instead lead drivers to think handsfree phones are safer.

The problem is that a cell phone conversation takes the driver's focus off the road, the studies showed.
As personal injury lawyers, our firm often has to determine what factors really caused a client’s injury. In some cases, police records report if the at-fault driver was using a cell phone when he struck my client. In other cases, it is not mentioned. Although the driver might not admit to using a phone while driving, cell phone records can be checked and we can establish whether there was cell phone usage at the time of the accident. The team at Hausmann-McNally, S.C. will work to determine whether cell phone use was a factor and whether it can be considered as evidence of driver negligence. If it was, it is another piece of strong evidence we can bring into the courtroom. Showing that the defendant was negligent and distracted enhances a personal injury lawyer’s case.

Attorney Charles J. Hausmann
August 27, 2009