The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office 2006 Factbook states that the numbers of car crashes in which a cell phone was being used has increased 81 percent from 1997-2006.
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
Sunday, September 09, 2007
State stats
The Oklahoma Highway Safety Office 2006 Factbook states that the numbers of car crashes in which a cell phone was being used has increased 81 percent from 1997-2006.
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
And according to the OHSO, there have been 3,333 car crashes in the since 1997 in which a cell phone was in use. However, Kathy Adams, OHSO data specialist said those numbers also include other forms of crashes, such as alcohol or drug involvement, so that doesn’t mean the crash was necessarily caused by cell phone use or distraction.
The most common type of crash in 2006, according to the report, was inattention. There were 291 crashes in 2006 where a cell phone was being used, more than 100 higher than the previous year, 185. It’s also a 90 percent increase from 1997, when only 29 crashes involving cell phone use were credited to inattention.
-Baxter Holmes
Benefits of using cell phones while driving?!
Study Finds That Restricting Cell Phones While Driving May Be Premature, That Benefits May Be More Compelling Than The Risks
For immediate release: July 24, 2000
Boston, MA--As public concern about driver distraction increases, a risk-benefit study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis finds that:
• Cellular phone use while driving does pose a risk to the driver, to other motorists, and to pedestrians. It is unclear whether "hands-free" phones are safer than handheld phones.
• The risks appear to be small compared to other daily risks but are uncertain because existing research is limited and of uneven quality.
• Little previous work has been done to identify and assess the benefits of the use of cellular phones in motor vehicles.
The Risks
• The authors calculate that a driver's average risk of being killed while using a cell phone is 6.4 in a million per year. That is 80 percent less than the average risk of fatality to a driver with a blood alcohol level of .10%.
• The risk of a passenger, another motorist, or a pedestrian being killed by a driver using a cell phone is 1.5 in a million per year. That is 92 percent less than the annual risk of being killed by a driver with non-zero blood alcohol content.
The Benefits
Focus groups of cell phone users and emergency services personnel identified benefits to drivers, families, social networks, businesses, and public health and safety, including:
• Expanded productive time.
• Peace of mind.
• Reducing the number and duration of trips.
• Decreased emergency response times/improved life saving outcomes.
• More effective apprehension of motor vehicle law violators such as drunk drivers.
The study notes that the cost of banning cell phone use while driving is about $700,000 for each quality-adjusted life year saved. That is 30 times more expensive than achieving the same public health benefit with driver airbags, and ten times more expensive than achieving that benefit by keeping the speed limit on interstate highways at 55 instead of 65 MPH.
The authors urge that before government regulates cell phone use by drivers, better quantitative information on risks and benefits should be collected. They recommend immediate educational efforts to curtail multiple sources of driver distraction.
The study was funded by AT&T Wireless. It underwent a thorough peer review by 12 scientists, including the leading researchers in the field.
A summary of the report is available in the current issue of Risk in Perspective: Cell Phones and Driving: Weighing Risks and Benefits (PDF).
For immediate release: July 24, 2000
Boston, MA--As public concern about driver distraction increases, a risk-benefit study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis finds that:
• Cellular phone use while driving does pose a risk to the driver, to other motorists, and to pedestrians. It is unclear whether "hands-free" phones are safer than handheld phones.
• The risks appear to be small compared to other daily risks but are uncertain because existing research is limited and of uneven quality.
• Little previous work has been done to identify and assess the benefits of the use of cellular phones in motor vehicles.
The Risks
• The authors calculate that a driver's average risk of being killed while using a cell phone is 6.4 in a million per year. That is 80 percent less than the average risk of fatality to a driver with a blood alcohol level of .10%.
• The risk of a passenger, another motorist, or a pedestrian being killed by a driver using a cell phone is 1.5 in a million per year. That is 92 percent less than the annual risk of being killed by a driver with non-zero blood alcohol content.
The Benefits
Focus groups of cell phone users and emergency services personnel identified benefits to drivers, families, social networks, businesses, and public health and safety, including:
• Expanded productive time.
• Peace of mind.
• Reducing the number and duration of trips.
• Decreased emergency response times/improved life saving outcomes.
• More effective apprehension of motor vehicle law violators such as drunk drivers.
The study notes that the cost of banning cell phone use while driving is about $700,000 for each quality-adjusted life year saved. That is 30 times more expensive than achieving the same public health benefit with driver airbags, and ten times more expensive than achieving that benefit by keeping the speed limit on interstate highways at 55 instead of 65 MPH.
The authors urge that before government regulates cell phone use by drivers, better quantitative information on risks and benefits should be collected. They recommend immediate educational efforts to curtail multiple sources of driver distraction.
The study was funded by AT&T Wireless. It underwent a thorough peer review by 12 scientists, including the leading researchers in the field.
A summary of the report is available in the current issue of Risk in Perspective: Cell Phones and Driving: Weighing Risks and Benefits (PDF).
First Draft of CELLCRASH Story
There's a CELLCRASH link on the Class Wiki home page.
It will take you to what will become the first draft of the story.
At this point, I've only got one file from Whitney Coleman.
So....
FILE EARLY AND FILE OFTEN!
WV
It will take you to what will become the first draft of the story.
At this point, I've only got one file from Whitney Coleman.
So....
FILE EARLY AND FILE OFTEN!
WV
How legislatures feel about the issue
Matt Sundeen
Program Principal, Transportation
National Conference of State Legislatures
7700 East First Place
Denver, CO 80230
Phone: (303) 364-7700, ext. 1539
Fax: (303) 364-7800
matt.sundeen@ncsl.org
interviewed August 29, 2007 by Whitney Coleman
How legislatures feel about the issue
Matt Sundeen works with the transportation program at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that provides information to legislatures about issues that are important to various states. He said driving while using cell phones has grown as an issue with legislatures over the past five years.
“10 to 15 years ago very few people had cell phones, so we didn’t have much legislation on this topic,” Sundeen said. “We’ve seen a real growth in the technology available to people and corresponding legislation.”
In the 2006 State Legislative Update on Cell Phones and Highway Safety, Sundeen cites a 2007 survey from Nationwide Insurance that estimated that 73 percent of drivers use cell phones. Sundeen said that legislatures, like anyone else, appreciate the value of using a cell phone while driving and recognize its increasing risks. He said they are also waiting on a consensus on the issue amongst law officials and experts, because, unlike drunk driving, cell phones can serve a purpose.
“They are reluctant to take away what’s valuable to people when they don’t have data to support it yet. I think everyone agrees that cell phones are distracting, but do they agree that they’re distracting enough to warrant legislation?” Sundeen said.
Sundeen said an incident or an obvious increased risk may be necessary to warrant harsh legislation against cell phones while driving. But for now, legislatures, like anyone else, witness how drivers perform while on their cell phones and may soon react to their observations.
He said nine states have passed new laws regarding driver distractions, seven of which were specific to cell phones, since he compiled this report last year. The closest Oklahoma has come to legislation was a bill presented by Senator Constance Johnson that would have prohibited cell phones while driving.
Clearly it’s an issue that’s here to stay,” Sundeen said. “It’s difficult to predict how many states will pass laws prohibiting the use of cell phones, but certainly we will see a lot of legislation considered over the next couple of years.”
ALSO INTERESTING... A LIST OF LAWS FROM EACH STATE ON CELL PHONES
Program Principal, Transportation
National Conference of State Legislatures
7700 East First Place
Denver, CO 80230
Phone: (303) 364-7700, ext. 1539
Fax: (303) 364-7800
matt.sundeen@ncsl.org
interviewed August 29, 2007 by Whitney Coleman
How legislatures feel about the issue
Matt Sundeen works with the transportation program at the National Conference of State Legislatures, a bipartisan organization that provides information to legislatures about issues that are important to various states. He said driving while using cell phones has grown as an issue with legislatures over the past five years.
“10 to 15 years ago very few people had cell phones, so we didn’t have much legislation on this topic,” Sundeen said. “We’ve seen a real growth in the technology available to people and corresponding legislation.”
In the 2006 State Legislative Update on Cell Phones and Highway Safety, Sundeen cites a 2007 survey from Nationwide Insurance that estimated that 73 percent of drivers use cell phones. Sundeen said that legislatures, like anyone else, appreciate the value of using a cell phone while driving and recognize its increasing risks. He said they are also waiting on a consensus on the issue amongst law officials and experts, because, unlike drunk driving, cell phones can serve a purpose.
“They are reluctant to take away what’s valuable to people when they don’t have data to support it yet. I think everyone agrees that cell phones are distracting, but do they agree that they’re distracting enough to warrant legislation?” Sundeen said.
Sundeen said an incident or an obvious increased risk may be necessary to warrant harsh legislation against cell phones while driving. But for now, legislatures, like anyone else, witness how drivers perform while on their cell phones and may soon react to their observations.
He said nine states have passed new laws regarding driver distractions, seven of which were specific to cell phones, since he compiled this report last year. The closest Oklahoma has come to legislation was a bill presented by Senator Constance Johnson that would have prohibited cell phones while driving.
Clearly it’s an issue that’s here to stay,” Sundeen said. “It’s difficult to predict how many states will pass laws prohibiting the use of cell phones, but certainly we will see a lot of legislation considered over the next couple of years.”
ALSO INTERESTING... A LIST OF LAWS FROM EACH STATE ON CELL PHONES
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