Study Shows That, Contrary To Popular Belief, Everyone Is Engaging In Distracted Driving

According to a recent survey conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance, while many blame “Millennials” for driving while texting and engaging in other distracted driving activities, in fact, a number of others are also engaging in these activities, including “Gen X” and “Baby Boomers.” In addition, according to the survey, Boomers are less likely to have someone else handle the phone ringing or notifications coming up while they are driving than younger generations.

What the study indicates is that the temptation to engage in distracted driving affects everyone, as everyone is tempted – at one point or another – to look away from the road for at least one or two seconds, especially since we’ve come to rely so heavily on our cell phones, which is more than enough time to get in a dangerous auto accident. This is especially the case when it comes to passing accidents, as we describe below:

Seniors in Particular Are Taking Too Long with Technology Inside Newer Cars

In fact, according to another recent study conducted by AAA, seniors in particular are struggling with new technology that is built into the dashboards of most, and this specific distraction is increasing accident risk. Specifically, drivers age 55 and older were taking an average of eight seconds longer than millennials when it came to using certain functions such as navigation, and this is a far too significant length of time in terms of taking your eyes from the road. In fact, to just taking your eyes away for two seconds reportedly doubles the risk of getting in an accident.

And while you may think this only applies to touchscreens, according to the studies, in fact, it applies to everything; even voice commands that are designed to keep someone’s eyes on the road. This is significant, as, according to AAA, by 2030 more than one-fifth of all drivers on the road will be age 65 or older.

It Gets Worse When Passing Accidents

A separate study showed that many drives are especially distracted by their phones when they are passing accidents and/or first responders on the roads: 71 percent (of all age levels) admitted to both texting and taking photos when they pass emergency situations. Of those, 60 percent also indicated that they then post what they have taken a picture of on social media, and approximately 67 percent said that they also compose and send an email concerning what they’ve just captured… all while still driving.

Injured by Distracted Driving? Contact Our Houston, Texas Injury Attorneys

Far too many distracted driving accidents occur in Texas every year. Taking your eyes away from the road for even a few seconds – and, in doing so, causing someone injury – is unacceptable. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in one of these accidents, contact our Houston auto accident attorneys today at The West Law Office to find out how we can help.

Resources:

forbes.com/sites/jimhenry/2019/08/15/distracted-driving-is-a-youthful-stereotype-but-baby-boomers-do-it-too/#7846918417bb

cbsnews.com/news/distracted-drivers-an-increasing-threat-to-first-responders/

/new-study-indicates-that-too-many-people-are-dying-due-to-drivers-running-red-lights/