88% of drivers use their phones on any given trip according to a report by Zendrive. They analyzed 570 million journeys, taken by 3.1 million different drivers across the country.
The average time a driver checked their phone was 3.5 minutes per hour. Previous research has found that taking your eyes off the road for just 2 seconds, makes you 24 times more likely to crash.
It is not that people do not know using their phone while driving is dangerous; the survey found they did. They even admitted to doing it. Yet, those questioned believed they were somehow above this, and could use their phone and still drive safely.
The companies that make the apps we use on our phones have to take some of the blame. They know how to grab our attention, and they know how to keep it. All those notifications and pings you get give you a small hit of dopamine, which keeps you going back for more. Phones and the apps on them are addictive by design. While this may be harmless in everyday life, when driving a car, it becomes dangerous.
Not that everyone is addicted to their phones. The survey showed there were still 12% of people who manage to drive without picking up their phones. If a distracted driver on their phone injures you in a car accident they have no excuse. They need to be held responsible for the injuries and suffering they have caused you.
