Auto Insurance, Cell Phones, and Safety

Over the last 10 years the number of people with cell phones has skyrocketed. Unfortunately, along with that boom came a huge distraction to people behind the wheel. Statistics from 2005 show that 6% of US drivers use their cellular phones in their vehicles, which includes 10% of all drivers between the ages of 16-24.

Cell Phones and Driving: The Risks

A study in The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society compared people’s ability to drive under three different conditions: Under the influence of alcohol; while using a hand held phone; and while using a hands free phone. What they found was people engaged in phone conversations, hand held or not, were more likely to crash than even someone at a .08 blood alcohol content. While this information should not downplay the seriousness of alcohol, a well known cause of accidents, it should point to how serious a distraction the phone can be.

Researchers have proven that people have much greater difficultly maintaining a fixed speed, or keeping their car at a safe distance in a single lane when performing tasks such as conversing on a mobile phone. And contrary to what you might expect, speaking and listening were proven to be equally distracting. So, hands or not, phone conversations jeopardize one’s ability to react quickly behind the wheel.

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Hand Held vs. Hands Free

There have been a number of studies conducted on the difference between using a hand held cell phone and a hands free device while driving. Most of those studies show that there’s little or no difference in a driver’s performance, though some point to increased control over the steering wheel when hands are free. This is also the legal alternative where hand-helds are currently banned.

Laws on Phoning and Driving

Currently, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and D.C. are the only places in the US where hand held phones are not permitted while driving. This same ban, however, has been approved in both Washington and California and is to take effect in July of 2008.

Auto Accidents Lead to Higher Premiums

Inattentive driving is a huge threat to people on the road and the addition of cell phones has had a profoundly negative impact. Sure using a cell phone behind the wheel is not the only distracting thing we do as drivers, but some say it accounts for 25% of all car accidents today. Compromising your ability to drive always increases the likelihood of an accident. And with that accident come possible injuries and higher insurance premiums. Remember, just like using a phone increases the risk of causing an accident, any accident a driver causes, makes him or her a higher risk to an insurer.

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