We all know that the disastrous mix of drinking and driving claims lives all over the world but the number of accidents caused by driver distraction while using smartphones is quickly rising.
A recently released study highlighted the dangers of using a cell phone while driving a car. Although the survey of 697 people was conducted in the United States, the figures in Mexico could be the same or even worse.
• 36% of respondents agreed that texting while driving can kill.
• 63% believe it is possible to have an accident while using the smartphone.
• 11% of drivers under 20 who were involved in fatal crashes admitted they were distracted when the accident happened.
• 21% of drivers under 19 who died in a car accident they were distracted by a mobile phone.
• 20% of respondents admitted that they text while driving.
In other statistics mentioned that in 2013, 421,000 accidents were caused by distracted driving and performing visual tasks such as sending WhatsApp messages makes the risk of accident 3 times greater.
As additional data, looking at your mobile device distracts your attention from the road 400% more than drivers not using cell phones while driving. If to this you add a speed of 55 mph (88.5 km/h) that distraction amounts to 4.6 seconds of driving time.
So the next time you start your car think twice if it's worth using your smartphone while driving. Remember that an accident changes your life forever. And leave your comments or suggests about how we can use or avoid technology to make our roads safer.
Jorge Chávez is Senior Editor at Mijo! Brands of Mexico.