
With the cellular phone seemingly becoming an "extension" of the human body -- contributing to increased reports of cell phone elbow -- trying to drive while talking on one of those handy, dandy devices may be more hazardous to your health than you ever imagined.
This sobering New York Times piece describes how driving while chatting on cell phones -- attractive as it may appear to multitask -- can be a deadly combination, even for the safest people. What's more, many states have resisted any attempts to pass laws legislating cell phone chatting while driving due to a lack of long-term data and any reports that do are often based on first-person accounts, a rarity among folks who don't want to admit they were distracted by their cell phones for insurance reasons, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
If you need any convincing, the numbers cited in this alarming NYT feature really tell the story.
* Distractions created by cell phones while driving were responsible for an estimated 2,600 traffic deaths, based on a 2003 Harvard study, more than double the number from just seven years ago, according to federal researchers.
* Cell phone account for some 330,000 traffic accidents a year, according to the same Harvard study.
* The probability you'll cause an accident while talking on a cell phone than drivers who don't is four times greater. Also, your likelihood of a crash is equal to someone to that of a person driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol level, or legally drunk.
* During daylight hours, almost 2 million people may be using their cell phones at any time, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
New York Times July 18, 2009
The Age.com.au July 20, 2009