Stats on Drivers and Cell Phones

About three per cent of the drivers on US roads at any time of day are talking on hand-held wireless phones. A recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found most of these 500,000 talkers are drivers of sport-utility vehicles and minivans on the road during non-rush hours. User rates were higher during the week than on weekends, and more suburban drivers than rural ones used phones. Data collectors, who also checked seat-belt use, observed more than 12,000 vehicles daily for two months during October-November 2000 at over 2,600 sites across the US.

Based on a telephone survey conducted from November 2000 to January 2001, NHTSA estimates that 54 per cent of drivers "usually" have some type of wireless phone in their vehicle. Fifty-five per cent of these drivers report that their phone is on during "all" or "most" of their trips, and 73 per cent reported using their phone while driving.

While these surveys quantify cell phone use, they do not address safety. Data from other NHTSA sources show that during 1999, American police officers cited wireless phones as a factor in 93 motor vehicle collisions. In comparison, driver distractions such as eating or tuning the car radio contributed to 11 per cent of the fatal crashes during 1999, resulting in almost 5,000 fatalities.

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