Transcript National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Statistics

Here’s what Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute’s 2009
Cell Phone Study says…….
Increase in Risk of Crash or Near Crash Event
Talking/Listening on a cell phone =
1.3 times higher
Dialing a cell phone =
2.8 times higher
Text messaging =
23.2 times higher
What does this mean…..
A driver manipulating a cell phone will
drive the length of a football field at 55
miles an hour without looking at the
roadway.
A growing trend is gaining support
• Montana is one of only 11 states that do not
have state laws prohibiting some or all of cell
phone use.
• 41% said behavior would change if cell phone
use were restricted
Another 49% said they don’t use a cell while
driving anyway and only 9% said they wouldn’t
change their behavior.
• On average, 80% of drivers support banning
texting while driving
(See state law chart)
(See Nationwide survey)
(see Nationwide survey).
Combined with Statistics
(According to the Pew Research Center)
• 47% of texting adults text while driving and
75% talk on the phone
• 34% of texting teens text while driving and
52% talk on the phone
Looking at the general population, this means
27% of all adults text and drive and 61%
talk and drive
26% of all teens text and drive and 43%
talk and drive
Busiest Streets in the State
• Main Street, north of the airport is
Montana’s busiest highway
50,950 vehicles a day
South of Airport Road is Montana’s
second busiest highway
49,160 vehicles a day
Which means what?
• If all of the drivers on Main Street were
adults on single day………
50,595 x 27% = 13,660 “vehicles” with
texting drivers in a single day
50,595 x 61% = 30,862 “vehicles” with
talking drivers in a single day.
What the Montana Highway Patrol
2009 Report Says
There were 5,175 crashes on Montana city
streets in 2009 – A 17% increase from the
previous year.
• Cell phone or communication device was a
contributing factor in 99 crash deaths in 2009.
• About one-third – or 32 crash deaths – were
on urban streets.
• Compare this to DUI as a contributing factor –
63 crash deaths in 2009.
• 6 of these alcohol related deaths were on urban
streets.
Montana Department of
Transportation 2009 Report
• There is a 62% increase over the last 5
years in accidents where the driver
admitted a cell phone was a contributing
factor.
(Montana Department of Transportation FFY 2009, pg. 90)
And the number is increasing every
year………
Think About it This Way….
Accident Risk: You are
more likely to get hit by
someone who is texting
than someone who is
drunk.
(University of Utah)
BUT MORE EVEN MORE
TELLING…..
CELL PHONE CRASH STATISTICS REFLECT
ONLY THOSE WE KNOW HAVE BEEN
REPORTED OR INVESTIGATED FOR
CERTAIN. SELF-REPORTING CELL PHONE
USE AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IS
UNCOMMON AND NOT REFLECTED ON
REPORTS – PARTICULARLY THOSE IN CITY
LIMITS.
Survey & Experimental Data
Supporting the Proposed Ordinance
•
•
•
•
275 million cell phone users in U.S.
81% of cell users talk on the phone while driving
98% of Americans believe they are safe drivers
1.6 million traffic accidents caused by drivers
using a cell phone
• Talking causes more accidents than texting
because fewer drivers text
• TALKING ON A CELL PHONE CONSTITUTES
A MEASURABLE, VERIFIABLE RISK,
DIRECTLY COMPARABLE TO DRIVING
WHILE INTOXICATED.
Medical Community Supports
the Proposed Ordinance
• The Alliance:
-- Nick Wolter, CEO, Billings Clinic
-- Lil Anderson, CEO, RiverStone Health
-- Jim Paquette, CEO, St. Vincent
Healthcare
• Board of Health, RiverStone Health (City/County
Health Department)
-- Douglas Carr, Chair, Board of Health
-- Michael Dennis, Chair, Public Policy
Development Committee