Distracted driving has been in the news. Most Florida drivers know that distracted driving can help increase the risk of Florida car accidents. However, many drivers may not realize just how significant a risk distracted driving really is. Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a sturdy in 2006, in which they studies motorists using 100 cameras for more than one year. The cameras were used to capture all types of motorist behaviors in an effort to determine what activities impacted driving ability.

Researchers found that drivers were sleepy and were eating, applying cosmetics, drinking, smoking, reading, and using mobile devices while driving. Researchers also concluded that in about 65% of close calls and in about 80% of all car accidents, distracting behaviors such as these played a key role. The study found that sleepiness increased the risk of a car accident by a minimum of fourfold. Researchers concluded that women were more likely to be in car accidents caused by distracted driving.

The 2006 study concluded that cell phones, cosmetics, and mobile devices posed a special risk in cars. Drivers who were dialing a number on their mobile devices increased their risk of a car accident 2.8 times when compared with non-distracted drivers. Female drivers applying cosmetics were 3.1 times more likely to be in a car accident than non-distracted drivers.

Eating and drinking can also be major distractions when it comes to driving. According to the study, motorists who ate on the road had 1.6 to 1 odds of being in a car accident. While drinking alone was not associated with a higher risk of collision (provided that the drink was not alcoholic), the major risk with drinking is spilling one’s drink and being distracted by it. Researchers found that dropping an object (such as a drink) and trying to recover it increased the risk of a close call or car accident nine fold. It proved one of the most dangerous activities to do while driving.

Although the study found that smoking was not necessarily a distraction, researches found that anything which removed motorists’ eyes from the road for two seconds or more increased risk of a collision or near miss. The implication for Florida motorists is clear: To prevent Florida car accidents and the injuries caused by collisions, motorists’ eyes must remain on the road. Any activity that removes the eyes from the road for even two seconds can cause a serious accident.

Many Florida brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and fatalities are caused by accidents on our roads. To help prevent these devastating collisions, drivers must start to look beyond just gadgets as a distraction. Any activity that removes your eyes from the road can cause a Florida pedestrian accident or car accident.