Thousands of people get injured every year in car accidents, and a new research says that texting is one of the major causes behind accidents by distracted drivers.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that motorists take their eyes off the road for around 10 percent of the time they are driving, which equates to six minutes per driving hour. Researchers found that the most common distractions for drivers included eating, texting, phoning or reaching for an object.
The research also found others distractions for drivers were altering temperature or radio controls, drinking, seat belt or window, adjusting a mirror and looking at something outside other than the road.
The research was conducted on 150 cars and data was collected over a period of 12 to 18 months. Researchers took the help of cameras installed in the cars and analyzed video footage. The study also fitted sensors in the cars to record data such as swerving, acceleration, sudden braking and drifting out of a lane.
"Anything that takes a driver's eyes off the road can be dangerous," said study co-author Dr Bruce Simons-Morton, from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland. "Our data supports the current trend in implementing restrictions on texting and cell phone use in vehicles."
The research was conducted on drivers between the age of 18 and 72 years. The study indicates that around 25 percent of the participating drivers studied were novice drivers who had received their driving licences no more than three weeks earlier. The remainder of the drivers had a driving license for an average of 20 years.
Teenager who had recently passed their driving tests were more likely to crash or experience a near-miss situation as a result of being distracted by various things. When a crash or near-miss occurred, the researchers noted if the driver was engaged in any distracting activity such as reaching out for objects, texting, eating, and more.
The study revealed that teenage motorists were eight times more likely to crash while phoning, seven to eight times when reaching for a phone or other object, near to four times when texting, and three times while eating.
''As new forms of technology increasingly are available in cars, it's important that drivers don't feel compelled to answer every incoming call or text. For young drivers' safety, parents can model this habit when they are at the wheel, and also let their children know that they should wait until the vehicle is stopped before taking a call - even when it's from mum or dad," said Simons-Morton.
