October 18, 2010—Kelley Blue Book (KBB) announced on Monday that the average driver is reluctant to stop cell phone use while driving.
In the past 30 days, 22 percent of drivers admitted to using a hand-held cell phone while driving and 10 percent admitted to using a hands-free device, according to a recent KBB online poll of 7,700 respondents.
The top four distracted driving activities after cell phone use were:
• Eating (21 percent of drivers);
• Texting (13 percent of drivers);
• Using a navigational system (12 percent of drivers);
• Using an iPod (7 percent of drivers).
Six percent of respondents said they did not do any of these activities and 1 percent did all of these in the past 30 days.
"In today's always-connected on-the-go lifestyle, with in-car infotainment systems becoming more and more prevalent, we understand that the urge to engage in distracted driving behaviors looms large for many drivers behind the wheel," said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "It is going to take a joint effort by automakers in their new-product technology development, government agencies like National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and most importantly, drivers themselves, to enforce a balance between connectivity and responsible driving to ensure safety on the roads."
