62% Of Distracted Driver Crashes Caused By Daydreamers - Phones Accounting For 12%

Drivers involved in fatal U.S. car crashes were more often “lost in thought” than distracted by mobile phones, police data show.

Ten percent of U.S. auto accidents that caused death involved at least one motorist who was distracted, Erie Insurance Group said yesterday in a statement on its analysis of national crash data. Daydreaming and being “lost in thought” was the distraction 62 percent of the time, compared with 12 percent for mobile-phone use, Erie said.

Auto insurers including State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and Allstate Corp. have publicized the risks of distracted driving. Carriers have been urging motorists to focus on operating their vehicles as mobile phones and cars add features that can take drivers’ attention off the road.

“The results were disturbing,” Doug Smith, senior vice president of personal lines at Erie, said in the statement. His company advises letting incoming calls go to voicemail and pulling over to send text messages.

 

Agent009 - 4/5/2013 4:03:50 PM

+1 Boost

Easier to regulate phone usage than drivers being morons I guess.

ErnestHouse - 4/5/2013 4:07:46 PM

0 Boost

I'm equally concerned about the person holding the sign and no hand on the wheel.

LexSucks - 4/5/2013 4:23:16 PM

-1 Boost

Can you see the entire wheel in that pic? How do you know that he doesn't have a hand on the wheel? What he's doing is dumb but he could be holding the wheel at the 5:00 position.

USNA1999 - 4/5/2013 4:28:14 PM

+1 Boost

I need one of these signs in order to flash it at all the people driving slow in the left lane here in Florida.