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State Farm survey shows drivers know the risks of distracted driving, and do it anyway

FILE - In this Wednesday, June 22, 2016, file photo, a driver uses her mobile phone while sitting in traffic in Sacramento, Calif.
Rich Pedroncelli
/
AP
In this Wednesday, June 22, 2016, file photo, a driver uses her mobile phone while sitting in traffic in Sacramento, California.

Ding! Many drivers know the feeling of their phone screen lighting up from a notification while behind the wheel, but how many risk lives to check it? Apparently, too many, according to a new study.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

A recent State Farm survey analyzed attitudes and behaviors behind distracted driving. It found that nearly 75% of drivers have easy access to their phones.

“We reached out to licensed drivers and asked them to self-report some of their behavior and many of them admitted to doing things,” said State Farm public affairs specialist Heather Paul. “Fifty-two percent admitted to reading or text messages while driving, 43% admitted that they interact with apps while they’re driving.”

The study also found while less experienced drivers are more likely to manually interact with their cell phones while driving, motorists with more experience also may have a tendency to check their devices.

“The really frightening thing is that there are many people that were slightly under the age of 50 that self-reported that they use apps,” Paul said. “While we often look at younger generations as being the ones who are using apps or texting or doing videos, older drivers who probably feel a little more confident and could handle that distraction, are also engaging in this type of behavior.”

The survey also showed a majority of respondents who admit to using their phone while driving acknowledge those behaviors increase their crash risk. For example, 67% of drivers who admit to using their cell phone while driving said reading and sending text messages behind the wheel is distracting, and 78% said that it will likely create a greater likelihood of a crash.

Distracted driving is preventable, Paul said. Putting your cell phone down and eliminating distractions can not only prevent collisions and tickets, but also protect yourself and the drivers around you.

“We want to encourage people to keep their eyes on the road and one way to do that is to take your cell phone, if you’re not using it for GPS purposes, put it in a bag, a purse, a backpack, and put it in the backseat,” Paul said. “And that way it’s out of your sight and out of your mind.”

A National Safety Council study has estimated that motor vehicle deaths in 2022 reached 46,000. Eating, drinking, paying too much attention to the radio, talking with passengers — and especially — using a cell phone are just a few examples of distractions that lead to car crashes every day.

Megan Spoerlein is a reporting intern at WGLT. She started in 2023. Megan is also studying journalism at Illinois State University.
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