Making Calls Can Be Fatal

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

The numbers will probably not prevent cell phone users from accepting calls. Nonetheless, the results of the study indicate that the concentration of drivers at the wheel decreases significantly when making a phone call.

US experts at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) have now investigated the extent to which the driver is distracted by the phone at the wheel. According to this, the risk of an accident by dialing a number on the mobile phone increases by a factor of 2.8 compared to undistracted drivers. Reaching for the electronic device while driving increases the likelihood of accidents in the car by 1.4 times, and speaking and listening to cell phone calls by 1.3 times.

Higher risk in the truck

Truck drivers are even more at risk. Reaching out for electronic devices increases the risk by 6.7 times, and dialing a number increases the risk by 5.9 times. If the driver of a truck at the wheel even writes a text message on his mobile phone, he increases his risk of accidents by 23.2 times compared to attentive drivers. In Germany you are not allowed to use your cellphone to make a phone call while driving. The use of a hands-free kit is mandatory. This also applies in many other countries. (mid)