Distracted Driving Problem Extends Beyond Texting

New research from State Farm shows that while texting while driving remains a huge concern, drivers are accessing other mobile web services at much higher rates. These behaviors may pose equal or greater concerns in the battle against distracted driving, State Farms says.

In a new survey of nearly 900 motorists, the company found that use of mobile web services has increased dramatically over the last 2 years. For drivers age 18 to 29:

• Accessing the Internet while on a cell phone while driving increased from 29% in 2009 to 43% in 2011. 
• Reading social media networks while driving increased from 21% in 2009 to 37% in 2011. 
• Updating social networks while driving increased from 20% in 2009 to 33% in 2011. 

Ironically, the study showed that texting while driving has remained flat or is decreasing in some instances:

• For drivers age 18 to 29, 71% said they engaged in texting while driving in 2009. That number dropped to 64% in 2011. 
• For all drivers, this number stayed relatively flat coming in at 31% in 2009 compared to 32% in 2011. 

"Calls from National Transportation Safety Board (NSTB) and others to ban cell phones are focusing now on both texting and web use while driving. The mobile web is a growing issue for safety advocates concerned about distractions while driving," says State Farm’s David Beigie.