Your Dallas Fort Worth Buick dealer, Freeman Grapevine has noticed that cell phone use in the metroplex seems to have increased, even though local area governments have enacted their own laws to curb the use of cell phones while driving without using a hands free headset (texting is an entirely different issue).
According to Nationwide, the use of a cell phone while driving can cause some of the following.
• A driver’s reaction time is affected as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of the legal limit, .08 percent.
• A driver is four times more likely to be involved in an accident serious enough to cause injury to them.
• Ten percent of drivers 16-24 years old are on their cell phones at any time.
• Driving while talking is a factor in 25 percent of police reported crashes.
• A driver’s brain activity associated with driving is reduced by 37 percent while using a cell phone.
There is some interesting new technology that has been developed which has the ability to be used to stop drivers from distracted driving. The Anna University of Technology in India has developed hardware the can block a driver’s mobile signal but will still allow them to use their phone. This cell phone jamming system, which is relatively low-cost, jams only the driver’s mobile signal. The range is rather low and any passengers will not be affected. The researches also included a transmitter, which will alert police when the driver is using their cell phone, thus allowing them to issue a ticket.
Although currently, this is just research, it may one day be put into practice and become a reality in the fight against distracted driving. For statistics on distracted driving visit nationwide.com and for more information on the research being conducted to block cell phone signals, visit insideline.com.
In the mean time, stay off your phones while driving and swing by Freeman Grapevine and check out our great selection of Dallas’ and Fort Worth’s best new and used cars, trucks and SUVs.