Georgia Injury Law Blog
There’s not much comfort to be had from the realization that people in other countries seem to be just as distracted behind the wheel as Americans are. The results of a survey released last week show that, across the world, motorists take the task of driving far too casually, and continue to indulge in activities that take their concentration away from the road.
The survey was conducted by Jabra, a unit of GN Netcom, and included respondents from Europe, North America and Asia. According to the survey:
· 28% motorists have sent or received text messages while driving (no surprises here)
· 13 have applied makeup while driving
· 12% read or wrote e-mails while driving
· 5% played videogames
· 5% shaved while driving
· 29% had kissed another person while driving
· 15% had actually had sex while driving
The survey had an error margin of plus or minus 2.1%, and respondents were asked to check activities that they had performed while driving. It is likely that at least a few of the respondents who responded “Yes” to having had sex while driving, simply did so in a spirit of fun. But, considering the casual attitude towards driving prevalent across the city, Atlanta accident lawyers wouldn’t really be surprised to know that people are indulging in such dangerous activities while driving.
These results should also be of special note to anti-distracted driving advocates. Distracted driving includes a whole range of undesirable behaviors that take your attention away from the road. Most anti-distracted driving efforts have focused hard on cell phone use and texting while driving, and rightly so. These are still some of the most dangerous behaviors you could indulge in at the wheel. Texting while driving is the most distracting driving behavior. However, there are all kinds of other distractions that can increase your risk of an accident.
There’s only so much that can be done to dissuade people from foolish behaviors like applying makeup and shaving at the wheel. Ultimately, motorists must realize that it’s their lives and the lives of other motorists at stake.