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NHTSA Study: Distracted Driving Causes 8 of Every 10 Crashes

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Washington DC April 21, 2006; The AIADA newsletter reported that a yearlong study released yesterday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute shows distractions and sleepiness contribute to eight out of every 10 crashes, reported The Detroit Free Press.

The study used cameras and sensors installed in 100 cars to track the behavior of 241 drivers. The cameras caught 82 crashes, 761 near crashes, and over 8,000 critical incidents, such as sudden braking or swerving; seventy-eight percent of the accidents and 65 percent of the near-crashes involved driver inattention, reports Freep. "To the everyday driver, we'd like to say that, anytime you're engaging in something else while driving, that really does increase your crash risk by two to three times," said Charlie Klauer, the manager of the NHTSA/VTTI study. Another NHTSA study released yesterday indicates a rise in U.S. traffic deaths in 2005 to 43,200, marking the highest rate in 15 years.

The report shows that alcohol related fatalities increased by 1.7 percent compared to 2004. Light truck fatalities as a whole increased by 4.3 percent and passenger car deaths dropped slightly, according to Reuters. The data in this study are estimates based on the first nine months of the previous year. The final figures are usually released in late summer.