And they may be causing the deaths of thousands of hapless pedestrians
EVER SINCE Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007 the small digital screen has become a ubiquitous part of life. Today in America there are some 260m smartphones in use, one for every adult. But the omnipresence of the device appears to be behind a recent increase in pedestrian deaths on America’s roads.
At first glance, Americans appear to be restrained when using their smartphone while driving. One survey conducted by the Department of Transport reckons that around 5% of drivers used their mobile phones behind the wheel in 2017. DoT researchers arrive at this figure by observing drivers’ mobile-phone use in situ at randomly allocated stopping places. By contrast Zendrive, a startup, employs software that is able to remotely track drivers’ use of their mobile phones.
While cars have become progressively safer thanks to airbags, side-impact bars and the like, pedestrians remain just as vulnerable to reckless driving. Their vulnerability appears to be demonstrated in the data. Between 1994 and 2009 the rate of deaths on American roads fell by an average rate of 2.6% for motor-vehicle users and by 3.2% for pedestrians. However, since 2009, while deaths from those in vehicles have flat-lined, pedestrian deaths have risen steadily.
Not all these deaths can be attributed to smartphone use and distracted driving. Higher sales of SUVs, which are bigger and more deadly vehicles, are partly to blame, too. And it is likely that some of the pedestrians who are killed are distracted by their smartphones when they should be focused on safely crossing the street.
As things stand just 18 states in America ban the handling of mobile phones while driving. North Carolina is the latest state to be considering a ban and evidence suggests that it would save lives. Research published last month finds that states that banned texting-while-driving reduced emergency-room visits from car crashes by 4%, equivalent to 1,600 fewer ER visits per state per year. The more Americans focus on the road ahead, the safer everyone will be.
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