The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which compiled the research and plans to release its findings on Tuesday, also measured the time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive texts.
In the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field.
That’s from a study of truck drivers. Here’s information from a study of college students:
The results of the Virginia Tech study are buttressed by new laboratory research from the University of Utah. In a study over the last 18 months, college students using a sophisticated driving simulator showed an eight times greater crash risk when texting than when not texting.
That study, which is undergoing peer review and has been submitted for publication in The Journal for Human Factors, also found that drivers took their eyes off the road for around five seconds when texting.
David Strayer, a professor who co-wrote the University of Utah report, offered two explanations for the simulator’s showing lower risks than the Virginia study. Trucks are tougher to maneuver and stop, he noted, and the college students in his study might be somewhat better at multitasking.
But the differences in the studies are not the point, Mr. Strayer said. “You’re off the charts in both cases,” he added. “It’s crazy to be doing it.”
While being hit from behind has been one of the rarest types car-bicycle collisions (majority occurring on rural roads in low light — see this list of studies for details), this texting thing makes me very glad I have a large mirror.
And this part is just chilling:
About half of drivers 16 to 24 said they had texted while driving, compared with 22 percent of drivers 35 to 44.
“It’s convenient,” said Robert Smith, 22, a recent college graduate in Windham, Me. He says he regularly texts and drives even though he recognizes that it is a serious risk. He would rather text, he said, than take time on a phone call.
“I put the phone on top of the steering wheel and text with both thumbs,” he said, adding that he often has exchanges of 10 messages or more. Sometimes, “I’ll look up and realize there’s a car sitting there and swerve around it.”
Mr. Smith, who was not part of the AAA survey, said he was surprised by the findings in the new research about texting.
“I’m pretty sure that someday it’s going to come back to bite me,” he said of his behavior.
Bite him? What about the person he hits? What if they are just going about living, following the rules, minding their own business? Will it take a dead body to give this guy a clue?
Not even the potential cost of a human life apparently will keep this yutz from valuing his tender convenience over all else.
Comments 12
Yet another reason the minimum driving age should be 25.
Posted 29 Jul 2009 at 1:30 pm ¶It’s interesting, my students often express nervousness and extreme anxiety during my class because I often have moments where we sit in silence during a group conversation. Some immediately turn to texting… before class the story is the same, even six years ago my students would talk or interact, now they sit there, terrified of the prospect of human interaction…
I say that because sending 10 text messages is not convenient… it would be easier to have a short conversation with a headset…
It seems almost like they can’t be alone, but then again they can’t interact either. Interesting…
Posted 29 Jul 2009 at 2:00 pm ¶Yet another reason for segregated cycle paths… Mostly the drivers just hit each other here, resulting in us cyclists being so much safer than in the US.
The interesting thing about being hit from behind is that while it’s not the most common type of collision, the severity of such collisions is on average much worse. (source: Ian Walker in a presentation at Cyclevision a few weeks back).
Posted 29 Jul 2009 at 2:40 pm ¶David… Thanks for the link! I’ll look into it.
Alex… Yep. My kid never talks on the phone. Text only. Odd.
Posted 29 Jul 2009 at 4:10 pm ¶unrelated note, is it illegal to ride a bike drunk.
Posted 29 Jul 2009 at 10:33 pm ¶-007
I’m more scared of all the other things impairing drivers than alcohol. Mainly because the occurrence of drunk drivers during prime biking hours is low; however 3-6pm is when most bike fatalities occur. Can we get Mothers Against Dumb Driving?
On another driving note, is there a more aptly named road than ‘Battlefield’?
Posted 30 Jul 2009 at 7:47 am ¶James… I don’t know. But I assume it is. I ride as if it is, i.e. I keep to my “driving limit.”
A.J. …
I stay off Battlefield.
Posted 30 Jul 2009 at 8:17 am ¶I had a pretty good bike wreck last week. I’m not sure if the squirrel was texting or not but he did seem kind of drunk as he sprinted towards my front wheel.
Then the SOB took off while I laid on the ground bleeding.
Posted 30 Jul 2009 at 10:03 am ¶James, Yes, You can get a DUI on a bike.
Robert, ouch. I think road-crossing is an adrenaline sport for squirrels. I know quite a few people who have crashed badly because of them.
Posted 30 Jul 2009 at 10:37 am ¶In Missouri the DWI law specifies “motorized vehicle.”
Posted 30 Jul 2009 at 12:54 pm ¶Robert… Thanks for the clarification, and sorry to hear about your crash. Bummer. As you know, that squirrel business is a real danger on the MSU campus. Ever have one come exploding out of a trash bin at you — especially the one at the south entrance to PSU?
Posted 30 Jul 2009 at 1:06 pm ¶Robert said: “In Missouri the DWI law specifies “motorized vehicle.””
Interesting. In FL it’s just vehicle. I rode with a cop friend one night and we picked up a DUI on a bike. She decided to drive him home rather than book him. But she made sure to tell him she could have taken him to jail for DUI. You don’t have to submit to a breathalizer in FL if you’re on a bike. And I don’t think you can lose your DL (if you have one).
Posted 31 Jul 2009 at 1:12 pm ¶