Distracted-driver-related crashes are said to account for 9% of all fatal motor vehicle collisions in the United States.
According to a study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), authorities can use telematics technologies in conjunction with roadside cameras to determine whether a driver is distracted. Not only that, using the system, the driver can also be issued a ticket for driving distracted.
The study used roadside cameras to track how many drivers were using or looking at their phones while in motion. The IIHS then tracked the driver’s habits to determine their cellphone usage while driving. The results proved that while phone-to-ear conversations are on the decline, drivers distracted by swiping through apps are on the rise. The study also showed that on average, drivers use their phones for approximately 3% of their total travel time.
The installation of roadside cameras could rise on American roads since their ability to track distracted drivers was nearly as accurate as on-site observers. This also makes it easy to fine such drivers, as police personnel wouldn’t need to stand on the side of busy roads and observe distracted drivers to ticket them.
Reports estimate that each year, as many as 3,000 people die because of distracted drivers, with an additional 3,60,000 left injured. Distracted-driver-related crashes are said to account for 9% of all fatal motor vehicle collisions in the United States. Also, the fatalities involved are mostly non-occupant pedestrians or cyclists.
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