According to U.S. researchers,
Drivers distracted by talking or texting on cell phones killed an estimated 16,000 people in US from 2001 to 2007 U.S. Approximately 2300 every year.
The estimate, one of the first scientific attempts to quantify how many people have died in accidents caused specifically by mobile telephone distractions, also suggests a growing number of these drivers are under 30.
The study points that just talking on a cell phone can distract a driver. Contrary to common perception, using a hands-free device doesn’t decrease the distraction either. But what is worrying is that texting and using so-called smart phones that provide e-mail access and other distracting applications have taken the problem to a new level.
Since roughly 2001-2002, texting volumes have increased by several hundred percent. In 2002, 1 million texts were sent every month; this rose to 110 million in 2008.
Though U.S. has managed to decrease traffic deaths in recent years -- in 2009 the country hit their lowest level since the mid-1950s in 2009 at 33,963, deaths due to distracted driving is still a problem. As for every 1 million new cell phone subscribers, the study estimates a 19-percent rise in deaths due to distracted driving.
Distracted deaths as a share of all road fatalities increased from 10.9 percent to 15.8 percent from 1999 to 2008, and much of the increase occurred after 2005, the study reports.
In 2008, approximately 1 in 6 fatal vehicle collisions resulted from a driver being distracted while driving. Cellphone ownership and the number of text messages sent rose sharply over the same time.
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