Handheld vs Headset Driving Statistics

Just 16 years ago, about 7 ½ million people owned cell phones. Just 10 years later in 2001, that number had jumped to 120 million. Now, most couldn't live without one, and perhaps we're even approaching half a billion people using cell phones regularly.

Most pedestrian deaths are in urban areas, a full two-thirds of them, even though the speed of a vehicle in a rural area is likely to be faster. The rural areas show fewer accidents involving pedestrians, though, because they're more sparsely populated. But in urban areas, the high vehicle and pedestrian traffic greatly raise the likelihood of a pedestrian accident.

Cell Phones and Vehicular Accidents

With the growing use of this new technology, of course problems arose. Cell phone use while driving boomed, and with it, the rate of accidents while using phone increased. Three-quarters of the people surveyed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration admitted to using their cell phone while driving. People don't just talk on cell phone while driving, they also dial them and send and read text messages while behind the wheel of a car, making accidents more likely because they're not paying close attention to the road.

People using cell phone are at least 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident serious enough to cause injury than those not on a cell phone. And with the advent of texting, the odds might be even more since this study was done early in the decade.

You might be surprised to find that:

• Older drivers are at just as high a risk as younger drivers
• Weather doesn't matter-most cell phone user accidents occur in clear weather
• Neither male nor females are more likely to be in an accident while on a cell phone
• The rate of accidents does not decrease when the driver uses a hands-free headset to talk on the phone
• Hands-Free Versus Hand-Held

State Laws for Hands Free Devices

Many state and local governments passed laws requiring that cell-phone users must use hands-free headsets or have the cell phone call piped through the car's speakers so that driver's would not be holding a cell phone while trying to drive. New York led the way with this legislation. But some states, like Illinois and Florida, prohibit headsets, except those that use only one ear, because a two-ear headset could limit the driver's ability to hear noises like oncoming vehicles, horns and emergency sirens. In some places and under certain circumstances, drivers are prohibited from using cell phones at all. School bus drivers, for instance, and prohibited from using them in certain states.

Do Hands Free Devices Reduce Accident Risk?

The likelihood of being in an accident remains even when hands-free headsets are used, though the reason for this is not clear. It's believed that the hands-free headsets, while not requiring hands once the conversation begins, still have to be put on and so aren't truly hands-free. Otherwise, the rate of accidents of those who are talking to passengers should be on par with those talking on headsets.

Contact the nearest Accident Attorney in your area today!