Distracted driving

A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 27% of all American adults say they have sent or read text messages while driving. That compares with 26% of all American teens ages 16-17 who reported texting at the wheel in 2009. 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading text messages on their cell phone. 75% of adults who use cell phones report talking on the phone while driving.

Overall, 44% of adults say they have been passengers of drivers who used the cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger. The relationship between cell phone use and distracted driving has been documented by researchers. A University of Utah study found that using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. Perhaps more unsettling is that while some of the study’s participants crashed their virtual vehicles while using a cell phone, none of them crashed while drunk.

Many of us rely on frequent, if not constant, access to cell phones, text messaging and email in our work, family and social lives. This aspect of modern life does not mix well with dependence on the single-occupant vehicle to get around. Increasing the availability of alternatives to driving is one way to make our technology-dependent lives safer. What are your thoughts about mobile phone use, driving and mass transit?