New data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that individuals who use their cell phones while driving are more likely to do so while speeding.
Speeding and distracted driving are two of the “Fatal Four” driving behaviors that Minnesota is currently cracking down on during the 100 Deadliest Days campaign, but the new data suggests that a fair amount of drivers are combining these two dangerous tendencies, further increasing their likelihood of tragedy.
“Until now, safety experts believed drivers used their cellphones most at slower speeds,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “But data from safe-driving apps show that, in free-flowing traffic, the opposite is true.”
Speeding And Texting
According to a nationwide analysis of cellphone data, excluding time spent stopped at intersections and on small driving streets, the amount that drivers handled their phones increased the more they exceeded the speed limit. Other findings from the analysis include:
- On limited-access roads, the share of time spent handling a phone rose by 12% for every 5 mph drivers went over the local speed limit. Limited access roads include freeways and other roads where vehicles enter and exit only via on- and off-ramps.
- On arterials and routes that connect towns, every 5 mph over the local limit was linked to a smaller 3% increase in phone handling. Arterial roads typically have traffic lights, intersections, stop signs and require drivers to take action periodically.
- Phone handling increased on roads with higher speed limits. On limited-access roads with 70 mph limits, for every 5 mph a vehicle exceeded the speed limit there was a 9% larger increase in phone handling than on similar roads with 55 mph limits.
- Compared with roads posted at 25 or 30 mph, there was a 3% larger increase in phone handling for every 5 mph drivers exceeded the limit on 45 or 50 mph roads and a 7% larger increase on 55 mph roads.
“It’s alarming that the relationship between cellphone manipulation and speeding was the strongest on roads with the highest speed limits,” said Ian Reagan, the IIHS senior research scientist who wrote the study.
One theory is that drivers who take more risks are both more likely to speed and more likely to use their phones. Another theory is stress, as previous research found that phone use spiked during rush hour and school drop-off, and those same situations may lead people to speed.
This is an alarming correlation, and it suggests that it’s going to be difficult to lower the number of accidents and fatalities on the road anytime soon. Distracted driving and speeding are two of the most dangerous driving behaviors (alongside drunk driving and unbelted driving), and combining the two is a recipe for disaster. Please, put the phones down and monitor your speed so that you and everyone else around you can get to their destination safely.
If you or someone you know has been cited for speeding, distracted driving or a similar traffic offense, connect with the team at Appelman Law Firm for assistance. Give us a call at (952) 224-2277 to set up your free case consultation today.
