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Study finds hands-free cell use does not stop distraction

On Behalf of | Jan 7, 2020 | Car Accidents |

Ohio drivers who use a hands-free cellphone while behind the wheel should be aware that this is still mildly distracting and that they should not use their free hands to engage in other activities. A company that works with fleets in the commercial and public sector providing safety solutions and video telemetrics examined over 100 billion miles of data and looked at video of more than 100,000 “risky events” to conclude that hands-free cellphone use is often accompanied by other distracting activities. At least nine people die on U.S. roads daily as a result of distracted driving.

The company found that its drivers tended to use their cellphone when traveling at 65 mph. The company’s client intelligence analyst surmised that this could be because many trucks have an upper speed limit of 65. As a result, drivers would reach that maximum speed, turn on their cruise control and relax with the hands-free cell phone. Their attention might be more likely to waver at this time.

Using other devices, smoking and eating are all things that drivers used their hands for while on a hands-free cell. Lytx also found that there were correlations between dangerous behaviors. For example, drivers who ate while behind the wheel had a higher likely of following vehicles too closely or not using their seat belts.

Even accidents that are not fatal can cause catastrophic injuries. Individuals who are injured in a motor vehicle accident when another party is at fault may want to contact an attorney for help in getting compensation. This can be important for covering accident-related expenses, but in some cases, insurance companies can make obtaining it difficult. If the driver who causes the accident is on the job at the time, the company the driver is working for may be considered responsible.

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