Are Gadgets Causing More Car Accidents?
We have heard it on the news or have heard others talking about how car accidents occur due to the driver sending text messages or playing with the gadgets in their car. Drivers have never had so many distractions tempting them to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel than with today’s vehicles, which are likened to living rooms on the road with everything from high-end stereo systems, televisions and DVD players.
How distracting are all of our car gadgets? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 80 percent of vehicle crashes and 65 percent of close calls are caused in part by driver distraction.
A study, conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and released in 2006, found that "secondary task distraction" was a central factor in auto accidents. The biggest culprit was hand-held wireless devices, along with the act of dialing phone numbers or sending text messages.
And even with all the advancements in vehicle safety technology, the number of people killed in auto accidents continues to rise. Close to 1.2 million people die each year on the world's roads, and that number is expected to rise by 65 percent by the year 2020, says a report by WHO and the World Bank.
Distraction isn’t the only problem causing car accidents, although it can account or some o the highest incidents. Here are the six major reasons or auto accidents:
1. Distracted Drivers
• Rubbernecking
• Driver fatigue (12 percent, see below)
• Looking at scenery (10 percent)
• Other passengers or children (9 percent)
• Adjusting the radio, cassette or CD player (7 percent)
• Reading the newspaper, books, maps or other documents (less than 2 percent)
2. Driver Fatigue
Drowsy drivers account for about 100,000 accidents every year in the United States, according to the U.S. National Traffic Safety Administration. The risk is greatest from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., the time when most people are used to sleeping, however some people also become drowsy from noon to 2 p.m.
Symptoms of driver fatigue include heavy eyelids, frequent yawning, a drifting vehicle that wanders over road lines, varying vehicle speed for no reason, misjudging traffic situations, seeing things "jump out" in the road, feeling fidgety or irritable and daydreaming.
3. Drunk Driving
In 2004, an estimated 16,654 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, according to NHTSA. This is an average of one death almost every half-hour. Drunk drivers were responsible for 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week in 2003, but this percentage rose significantly over the weekends, during which 53 percent of fatal crashes were alcohol-related.
The only way to prevent this type of accident is to not drink and drive. Whenever alcohol is involved, choose a designated driver in advance. This person should not drink at all before driving.
4. Speeding
Speeding is a multi-tiered threat because not only does it reduce the amount of time necessary to avoid a crash, it also increases the risk of crashing and makes the crash more severe if it does occur. In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), when speed increases from 40 mph to 60 mph, the energy released in a crash more than doubles. Simply slowing down and obeying posted speed limits can go a long way toward making the roads safer.
When traffic gets heavy, resist the urge to succumb to aggressive driving.
5. Aggressive Driving
Exactly what is an aggressive driver? Anyone who does the following:
• Aggressive tailgating
• Flashing lights at other drivers because you're irritated at them
• Aggressive or rude gestures
• Deliberately preventing another driver from moving their vehicle
• Verbal abuse
• Physical assaults
• Disregarding traffic signals
• Changing lanes frequently or in an unsafe manner
• Failure to yield the right of way
If the situation is serious, you may call 911 to report an aggressive driver
6. Weather
Inclement weather, including heavy rain, hail, snowstorms, ice, high winds and fog can make driving more difficult. You'll need more time to stop and may have trouble seeing the road clearly, so when the weather gets bad be sure to leave extra room between the car in front of you and slow down. If necessary, pull off the road to a rest stop (or to the side of the road, well out of the traffic lanes) until conditions improve.
By heeding the above and keeping your eyes on the road, you will lesson the likelihood of being in an accident. Save your television watching and cell phone texting for when you are the passenger.
Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV's. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.
How distracting are all of our car gadgets? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 80 percent of vehicle crashes and 65 percent of close calls are caused in part by driver distraction.
A study, conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and released in 2006, found that "secondary task distraction" was a central factor in auto accidents. The biggest culprit was hand-held wireless devices, along with the act of dialing phone numbers or sending text messages.
And even with all the advancements in vehicle safety technology, the number of people killed in auto accidents continues to rise. Close to 1.2 million people die each year on the world's roads, and that number is expected to rise by 65 percent by the year 2020, says a report by WHO and the World Bank.
Distraction isn’t the only problem causing car accidents, although it can account or some o the highest incidents. Here are the six major reasons or auto accidents:
1. Distracted Drivers
• Rubbernecking
• Driver fatigue (12 percent, see below)
• Looking at scenery (10 percent)
• Other passengers or children (9 percent)
• Adjusting the radio, cassette or CD player (7 percent)
• Reading the newspaper, books, maps or other documents (less than 2 percent)
2. Driver Fatigue
Drowsy drivers account for about 100,000 accidents every year in the United States, according to the U.S. National Traffic Safety Administration. The risk is greatest from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., the time when most people are used to sleeping, however some people also become drowsy from noon to 2 p.m.
Symptoms of driver fatigue include heavy eyelids, frequent yawning, a drifting vehicle that wanders over road lines, varying vehicle speed for no reason, misjudging traffic situations, seeing things "jump out" in the road, feeling fidgety or irritable and daydreaming.
3. Drunk Driving
In 2004, an estimated 16,654 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes, according to NHTSA. This is an average of one death almost every half-hour. Drunk drivers were responsible for 30 percent of all fatal crashes during the week in 2003, but this percentage rose significantly over the weekends, during which 53 percent of fatal crashes were alcohol-related.
The only way to prevent this type of accident is to not drink and drive. Whenever alcohol is involved, choose a designated driver in advance. This person should not drink at all before driving.
4. Speeding
Speeding is a multi-tiered threat because not only does it reduce the amount of time necessary to avoid a crash, it also increases the risk of crashing and makes the crash more severe if it does occur. In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), when speed increases from 40 mph to 60 mph, the energy released in a crash more than doubles. Simply slowing down and obeying posted speed limits can go a long way toward making the roads safer.
When traffic gets heavy, resist the urge to succumb to aggressive driving.
5. Aggressive Driving
Exactly what is an aggressive driver? Anyone who does the following:
• Aggressive tailgating
• Flashing lights at other drivers because you're irritated at them
• Aggressive or rude gestures
• Deliberately preventing another driver from moving their vehicle
• Verbal abuse
• Physical assaults
• Disregarding traffic signals
• Changing lanes frequently or in an unsafe manner
• Failure to yield the right of way
If the situation is serious, you may call 911 to report an aggressive driver
6. Weather
Inclement weather, including heavy rain, hail, snowstorms, ice, high winds and fog can make driving more difficult. You'll need more time to stop and may have trouble seeing the road clearly, so when the weather gets bad be sure to leave extra room between the car in front of you and slow down. If necessary, pull off the road to a rest stop (or to the side of the road, well out of the traffic lanes) until conditions improve.
By heeding the above and keeping your eyes on the road, you will lesson the likelihood of being in an accident. Save your television watching and cell phone texting for when you are the passenger.
Greg Chapman of Greg Chapman Motors is a knowledgeable and leading provider of used cars, trucks, and SUV's. Since 1959, Chapman motors has supplied reliable used cars in Austin and the surrounding area and is known as one of the bad credit car dealers in Austin. For more information please visit http://www.gregchapmanmotors.com.
Labels: auto accidents, auto gadgets, car gadgets
posted by Greg Chapman Motors at
10:33 AM
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