Study: Distracted Driving Causes More Severe Crashes

Nov. 28, 2018
A new study says that crashes caused by distracted driving tend to be more severe than others, and the severity depends on the type of setting in which the crashes occur.

Nov. 28, 2018—A new study by the Risk Institute at Ohio State University says that crashes caused by distracted driving tend to be more severe than others, and the severity depends on the type of setting in which the crashes occur, reported The Washington Post.

According to the study, distracted driving raised the odds that a crash will cause severe injury or death, compared with other crashes, particularly if those crashes involve rear-end collisions or occur in work zones or interstate highways.

By contrast, roundabouts or rotaries appear to lower the risk of crashes and diminish the severity of distraction-related crashes.

The analysis found that in-vehicle distraction accounted for 48 percent of the crashes. The study also noted that younger drivers, especially those between 20-24 years of age, account for the highest percentage of crashes. 

Ohio State’s study – which was authored by Zhenhua Chen and Youngbin Lym – analyzed 1.4 million police records obtained from the Ohio Department of Transportation for crashes that occurred between 2013-17. During that period, the number of distracted-driving-related crashes increased in Ohio, just as the number has increased nationwide, according to the report.

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