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Cell phones + driving + automobile accidents

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Focus. Data & Statistics | Feature: Distracted Driving in the United States and Europe. Have you ever read or sent a text message while driving and then had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting another car? Or have you missed an exit or turn because you were distracted by a phone call? It only takes seconds for a crash to happen. Distracted driving makes crashes all the more likely. Distracted Driving: More of a Problem in the United States than in Europe Talking, texting, and reading email behind the wheel may be more of a problem in the United States than in Europe. A recent CDC study compared the percentage of distracted drivers in the United States and seven European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Overall, the study found that a higher percentage of U.S. drivers talked on the phone and read or sent emails or texts while driving than drivers in several other European countries.

Distracted Driving in the United States: a Problem on the Rise Distracted driving increases your chance of being in a crash. Distracted Driving Information Clearinghouse. The FCC's Distracted Driving Information Clearinghouse provides links to information about firms and organizations conducting consumer education and outreach activities, providing technology approaches intended to reduce the dangers of distracted driving, and working to dissuade people from texting while driving. If you would like information about your organization included in the Clearinghouse, please send an e-mail with a brief description of your organization's efforts to reduce distracted driving, along with your contact information and a link to your website, to DistractedDriving@fcc.gov.

The descriptions and links below are provided for informational purposes only. The FCC does not endorse any non-FCC product or service, and is not responsible for the content of non-FCC websites, including their accuracy, completeness, or timeliness. Consumer Education & Outreach AT&T is a premier communications holding company. Industry & Technology. State Cell Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws. March 2016 This chart outlines state distracted driving laws. Some localities have additional regulations.

Enforcement type is shown in parenthesis. Hand-held Cell Phone Use: 14 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving. All are primary enforcement laws—an officer may cite a driver for using a hand-held cell phone without any other traffic offense taking place. Crash Data Collection: Nearly all states include at least one category for distraction on police crash report forms, although the specific data collected varies. Preemption Laws: Some states have preemption laws that prohibit local jurisdictions from enacting their own distracted driving bans. NOTE: GHSA does not compile any additional data on distracted driving laws other than what is presented here. 1 Arkansas also bans the use of hand-held cell phones while driving in a school zone or in a highway construction zone.

2010TSCIndexFinalReport. Distracted Driving | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Texting and Driving. PIP_Teens_and_Distracted_Driving. Texting While Driving. The popularity of mobile devices has had some unintended and even dangerous consequences. We now know that mobile communications are linked to a significant increase in distracted driving, resulting in injury and loss of life. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2012 driver distraction was the cause of 18 percent of all fatal crashes – with 3,328 people killed – and crashes resulting in an injury – with 421,000 people wounded.Forty percent of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger, according to a Pew survey.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.Eleven percent of drivers aged 18 to 20 who were involved in an automobile accident and survived admitted they were sending or receiving texts when they crashed. Distracted Driving Information Clearinghouse State Laws What You Can Do Print Out.