GPS Tracking

Study on Teens and Car Accidents

In a recent study conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), 68% of teens said they had narrowly avoided a crash, and more than half had experienced more than one close call in the past year. More than 2,000 students in 28 high schools were surveyed for this study, which was released on June 13.

Of those who said that they had a close call, 55% blamed other drivers or the weather. However, when asked as to what was happening during the exact time of that close call, 30% of teens said they were speeding, 21% said they were texting and 20% said they were talking to passengers in the car.

A similar study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance in April, found that when crashes occurred because of an error made by a teen, 20% of the time distracted driving was to blame (texting, mp3 players, passengers, etc.). The study also found that speeding was responsible for 21% of crashes in which teens were at fault. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens are four times more likely to get into accidents than older drivers. About 3,000 teens died in auto accidents in 2009, and according to to CDC estimates,roughly 350,000 were treated for injuries.

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Distracted Driving in Focus

New Laws Target All Distracted Driving Incidents

Source acquired via CTV, May 6, 2010, Edmonton, Alberta – Alberta has just made Bill 16 official, and drivers throughout the province are taking notice. Bill 16 prohibits driving distractions of any kind including personal grooming, reading, writing, and texting. The message that the Transportation Minister is giving Albertans is clear: “when you’re in your vehicle, your focus must be on driving.”

While this is one of the most stringent anti-distraction laws out there, Alberta isn’t the only province considering anti-distraction laws. In fact, many of the states within the United States are currently trying to find ways to prevent drivers from texting while driving – a dangerous habit that costs many drivers their lives. Throughout the world, texting while driving has become a major issue. (more…)

A Help for Distracted Drivers

Multiple Functions Make this a Popular App

Source acquired via Washington Examiner, May 5, 2010, Middletown, MD – John and Joana Tsinonis recently invented a type of software that could change the way teens drive. The software, called proTextor, was invented to prevent teens from sending or receiving texts and phone calls while driving. Using a GPS tracking device, proTextor detects when a vehicle is in motion, and automatically blocks all incoming and outgoing texts and calls. (more…)

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Distracted Driving Becoming a Major Contributor to Accidents

Incidents are on the Rise

Distracted driving is becoming a large threat to safe driving on our streets and roads.  Vehicle manufacturers are not helping the situation, either.  The rush for better and more exciting information and entertainment in vehicles is cause for concern over the amount of distraction that it adds to an already dangerous environment.

The statistics support the amount of concern.  Almost 6,000 people were killed and over 500,000 were injured as a result of distracted driving accidents in 2008 (2009 data not yet available).  These numbers are supplied by the U.S. Department of Transportation. (more…)

By JAMES NEELY / guest writer

-        James is a freelance writer for Rocky Mountain Tracking based in Fort Collins Colorado, a provider of vehicle tracking devices, software and accessories. For information about Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. visit www.RMTracking.com.

There is a lot of talk lately about laws being enacted on a state-by-state basis that are banning the use of mobile phones and texting while driving.  The main motivation, of course, is safety.  There have been too many incidents of distracted drivers being involved in accidents because their attention is diverted from their primary function – drive the vehicle.

Other nations besides the US are grappling with this issue as well.  It stands to reason that we can only benefit from these devices if we keep from assuming room temperature because of our irresponsibility. (more…)

Business and leisure travelers across the U.S. are expressing support for a new regulation approved by the federal government Jan. 26, 2010. Effective immediately, it is illegal for drivers operating commercial trucks and large passenger vans and buses to text while their vehicles are in motion. While many people admit it will be difficult for police to catch disobedient drivers in the act of texting, the mere existence of the law makes many feel our highways will be safer to travel. (more…)

Texting on one’s cell phone is a form of social networking that is astoundingly popular. Anyone still doubting this point need only read news from the Oxford University Press.

In mid November the publisher announced its top candidates for 2009 Word of the Year.

In the Top 5:

·         Intexticated: Texting on a cell phone and driving at the same time, to the point of dangerous distraction.

Clever; maybe even a little funny. But the truth is that texting and driving is very serious business. A study from the Virginia Technical Transportation Institute showed that texting and driving resulted in a greater chance of crashing – greater than driving drunk!

If the federal government has its way, this bad habit will soon be illegal in every state in the U.S. Driving laws are generally left for the individual states to decide. But to nudge them in the right direction, the feds are considering holding back highway funds until the states comply.

Texting while driving is banned in 14 states. President Barack Obama recently pushed through a law that banned all federal employees from texting and driving. So it’s a matter of time before the campaign goes national. (more…)

Incident Proves Danger of Teen Driving Distractions

A Tampa Bay paper reported that a 17-year-old girl, skipping school and out on a joy ride with friends, got into trouble when she ran into a police officer – literally.

The teen driver apparently became distracted while texting and bore down on the back end of a patrol car.

Texting has officially become more popular than cell phone calls. In fact, it’s been stomping the competition for a couple of years now. Nielsen Mobile, a communications research firm associated with The Nielsen Company, said U.S. wireless subscribers average 357 texts a month, versus 204 phone calls.

Nielsen looked at the wireless bills of a volunteer sample of 50,000 subscribers and noted activities such as text messages, favorite games and ringtones.

The numbers get more interesting when Nielsen shows results by age group. Teens, ages 13 to 17, send or receive 1,742 texts per month; more than any other age category. (The next-closest age group, ages 18-24, was far behind. They averaged 790 texts a month.) Put that statistic behind 4,000 pounds of speeding steel, glass and gasoline, and you’ve got trouble waiting to happen.

That Florida teen driving disaster should feel lucky she got away with only $3,000 in damage, a ticket, and probably a good grounding from her parents.

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