Motor Insurance figures show that teenagers and drivers in their early 20′s cause more accidents on Ireland’s roads than any other group because of their lack of experience and poor judgement when driving. This age group is also more likely to own a mobile phone, making them more likely to be tempted to use it when driving.
Studies have shown that sending a text or calling someone on a mobile phone when driving is especially common amongst younger, less experienced drivers. A recent study carried out in the United States revealed that an alarming 37 per cent of teenagers aged between 16-17 years old admitted to sending a text while driving, with more than half saying they had talked on the mobile phone when in charge of a car.
However, experienced drivers were also found to be at fault, with the research showing that one in five adult motorists in the US admitting to sending a text whilst driving in the 30 days prior to the survey being carried out. An astonishing 67 per cent also said they had spoke on their mobile phones when driving, with 28 per cent admitting to doing it on regular occasions.
A recent experiment has shown that using a mobile phone to make a call or send texts when driving impairs a motorist’s judgment more than driving whilst over the legal drink limit.
The test placed a volunteer behind the wheel of a car travelling at 70 miles per hour on an unused landing strip and asked them to brake when a red light came on inside the car.
When driving unimpaired, the volunteer took just over half a second to respond. They were then given enough alcohol to drink to put them over the drink-drive limit, which saw the volunteer travel for an extra four feet before braking.
The experiment continued with the volunteer being asked to read an e-mail whilst sober and travelling at 70 mph, which saw them travel an extra 36 feet before responding to the red light. However, when asked to send a text whilst sober, the volunteer took an extra 70 feet before slamming on the brakes, compared to when unimpaired.
Rochelle Martinez, Freelance Web Content Article Writer for three years. Some of her articles are about http://www.quinn-direct.com.