NSC Report: 26% of Car Crashes Involve Cellphones

That 26% number is just an estimate, and I think it’s too low really, I agree with many people that a lot of cellphone related accidents go unreported. Here in Pennsylvania we have a ban on texting and driving and I see people all the time driving with their phone up and they’re texting away, or browsing the web or whatever.  5% of that 26% number is from texting and driving accidents and that’s ridiculous in my opinion, nothing is that important that it can’t wait. 26% means that basically 1 out of every 4 car crashes was caused by some idiot on his cellphone, 26% is actually more than 1 out of 4 which makes it worse really. Here in PA they recently introduced several new bills about distracted driving like banning anyone under 18 from using their phones at all while driving, which makes sense. My favorite one that they introduced was HB 109 which includes reading and grooming while driving! Yes ladies that would mean no more putting makeup on while driving, and guys no more shaving while driving.

The National Safety Council today released the 2014 edition of Injury Facts, which details safety statistics and trends across the U.S. and worldwide. Injury Facts has been the Council’s go-to resource for all safety statistics for more than 90 years.

Among the more surprising statistics in the 2014 edition:

1. Poisonings, including those from unintentional opioid prescription painkiller overdoses, were the leading cause of death in 18 states and Washington, D.C. The increase in fatalities corresponds with the national increase in deaths from drug poisonings, including those involving prescription painkillers.
2. Cell phone use is now estimated to be involved in 26 percent of all motor vehicle crashes – up from the previous year
3. An estimated 5 percent of cell phone-related crashes involve texting, while 21 percent involve drivers talking on handheld or hands-free cell phones
4. In 2012, the number of teen motor vehicle occupant deaths decreased, but motor vehicle crashes remain the No. 1 cause of death for teens
5. Unintentional injuries cost more than $790 billion annually
6. The most costly lost-time workers’ compensation claims are those involving injuries to the head or central nervous system
7. The number of elder adult falls has risen 112 percent since 1999
8. Motor vehicle deaths in 2012 were at their lowest level in February and at their highest in July
9. The three-day period around New Year’s Day was the holiday period with the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired driving deaths

Via: http://www.nsc.org/Pages/NSC-releases-latest-injury-and-fatality-statistics-and-trends-.aspx