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Distracted Drivers Lack Focus Near California Schools


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SACRAMENTO CA -- Oct. 17, 2014: California drivers can make significant gains in focus while behind the wheel, reveals a new study funded by The Allstate Foundation. Students who monitored 80 intersections at schools across California this week recorded more than 8,000 cases of distracted driving in a single hour.

Student researchers from 28 counties participated in this week's Roadwatch—an annual observational and educational study administered by the California Friday Night Live Partnership (CFNLP)—and observed 8,378 cases of distracted driving focus, ranging from talking and texting on cellphones to eating and drinking, and personal grooming. These three driving distractions top the list as most prevalent.

This hourly average of more than 100 instances of distracted driving per intersection is consistent with the average recorded in prior Roadwatch studies. Traffic volume is not factored.

Driven by a desire to improve traffic safety in their neighborhoods and to use the research for future safe-driving campaigns locally, students compiled these startling statistics from among the vehicles they observed with both attentive and distracted drivers. The top distractions while driving are not surprising. Each is avoidable.