New research shows many parents driving distracted with kids in the car

May 15, 2013 (Press-News.org) According to the National Safety Council, in 2011, 23 percent of all traffic accidents involved the use of a cellphone. Drivers who are distracted by talking or texting are responsible for thousands of injuries and deaths on the road every year.

When it comes to distraction behind the wheel, it's easy to blame teens and the younger "plugged in" generation for the bulk of the problem -- and it's true that many less experienced drivers do fall into bad habits when it comes to using electronic devices. However, a new study shows that a large number of parents are engaging in distracted driving themselves.

Parents don't text as much as teens, but display many other distracting behaviors

Dr. Michelle Macy of the University of Michigan was the lead author of a study presented in May of 2013. In the new study, researchers polled approximately 600 parents about their distracted driving behaviors while transporting a child under the age of 12.

Overwhelmingly, parents responded that technological devices were the number one source of distraction while transporting kids: almost 90 percent of respondents admitted to some form of electronic distraction within the past month.

One major difference in the distracted driving behavior of parents versus teens was the types of electronic distraction that were most common. Phone calls were the primary electronic distraction for parents in the study, with around 70 percent saying they'd taken or placed a call with kids in the car during the past month; only about 10 percent of parents said they had texted behind the wheel. In comparison, a survey of high school students conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 44.5 percent of teenage drivers reported that they had texted behind the wheel in the past 30 days.

Respondents in the recent University of Michigan study were also asked about other forms of distracting behavior behind the wheel. Self grooming was almost as common as taking phone calls, with nearly seven out of ten parents saying they had engaged in it, while trying to figure out directions and switching the music in their audio systems were both cause for distraction in about half of the drivers surveyed. Attending to children, eating and reaching for an object were some of the other distracting behaviors parents admitted to while transporting children.

Harmed by a distracted driver? Get legal help

Any distracted driver, regardless of age, can be dangerous to other motorists and pedestrians. If you have been injured by a distracted driver, or if a family member has been killed, you have a right to recover monetary compensation from the at fault party. Monetary damages can account for wages lost due to an inability to work following an injury, medical bills, pain and suffering, and other losses incurred due to the negligence of a distracted driver.

If you've been the victim of a distracted driving crash, get the money you deserve and do your part to encourage safer driving. Talk to a car accident attorney today to learn more and to begin building your case.

Article provided by McCarthy Weisberg Cummings, P.C.
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