BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Distracted driving is epidemic, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center (UAB UTC). An estimated 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a cell phone in 2008, according to the United States Department of Transportation. Six thousand people died in distracted-driving-related vehicle crashes, and 500,000 were injured.

"It's clear that driving while distracted by cell phones, text messaging or other technologies increases the risk of vehicle crashes," says Despina Stavrinos, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow at the  UAB UTC, part of the Injury Control Research Center. Stavrinos' research projects include studying distracted driving in teens with ADHD and the effects of cell phone distraction in adolescent and college-aged pedestrians.

Stavrinos and UAB UTC Director Russ Fine, Ph.D., attended a recent summit on distracted driving called by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. Stavrinos says American Automobile Association (AAA) study results presented there indicated that many drivers recognize the dangers of cell-phone use while driving, yet continue to do so.

"What we have learned from the AAA study is that people have a 'do as I say, not as I do' mentality, with 58 percent of respondents reporting that using a cell phone on the road was dangerous, yet 67 percent of them admitting to using a cell phone while driving in the past 30 days," Stavrinos says. "Eighty-seven percent of drivers thought texting while driving was dangerous, almost as many people who thought drunk driving was dangerous."

Stavrinos says the summit suggested that legislation banning cell phone use while driving would be a strong initial step toward dealing with distracted driving issues.  Two hundred distracted-driving bills have been introduced this year in 46 states. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia ban cell phones for novice drivers and six states have such a ban for all drivers.  Alabama is not among those states, Stavrinos said.

"Unfortunately, legislation alone will not solve the problem," she said. "We need to reach a point where distracted driving is perceived as wrong, in the same light as not wearing a seat belt or driving under the influence. Legislation and widespread education efforts may be the best strategy for combating the distracted driving epidemic."  

The UAB University Transportation Center is planning an Alabama Distracted Driving Summit later this year.

About the UAB UTC

The UAB University Transportation Center focuses on traffic safety and injury control. Along with the UAB Injury Control Research Center it works to help the nation achieve a significant reduction in the rate of transportation-related injuries, deaths and disabilities, especially in the Southeast United States.