Alcohol has long been considered one of the most dangerous causes of impairment to the fitness of drivers, but distractions by technology, including smartphones and satellite navigation systems, are now proving to be a greater risk than alcohol, according to a new study by the Allianz Center for Technology ("AZT").
The study found that some 74 percent of drivers admitted to being distracted while driving.
The study found that the risk of an accident drastically increased when drivers switched attention from road traffic to the technology within their reach. The study highlighted a statistical correlation between higher accident rates and the use of information, communication, and entertainment functions on offer within cars.
For example, 60 percent of drivers who had accidents in the past three years reported using their mobile phone while driving. Just 37 percent of drivers who did not have an accident reported doing so.
"This is not really a surprise," said Jochen Haug, head of claims at Allianz Germany. "The more diverse the technology and the more complex its operation, the more it will distract the driver from monitoring the traffic."
Until the 1970s, it was acceptable for a driver to have several glasses of wine and still drive, noted Mr. Haug. More than 20,000 people died on the roads in 1970 and the government responded by introducing speed limits on country roads and a maximum blood alcohol level of 0.8 in 1971. "Attitudes to alcohol changed: It is no longer socially acceptable to drink and drive. We need to adopt the same attitude when it comes to smartphone use behind the wheel of a moving vehicle," Mr. Haug said. "Our study is clear, using a smartphone while driving puts human lives at risk."
According to the survey, almost every second driver committed cellphone-related violations while driving. Three-quarters of the survey respondents admitted to being regularly distracted by built-in technology in the vehicle, while 39 percent said they manually operated the navigation system while driving.
One in four drivers said they read text messages while driving and 15 percent said they responded to messages. It was more prevalent in drivers aged up to 24 years: up to 27 percent read messages and 23 percent responded while driving.
The results corresponded to international findings. A 2015 report of 1,211 drivers in the United States found that nearly 60 percent of respondents had read or written a cellphone message while driving, within the prior month. A strong correlation was found between the results and crash rates.
Furthermore, motor vehicle collisions are responsible for nearly a quarter of all deaths among teens and young adults (aged 15-24 years) in the United States. More than a third (36 percent) of all distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes were aged 15-29, according to 2015 statistics from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.