Study finds no link between car accidents and yapping whilst driving
by Darren Murph 
posted Aug 25th 2007 at 7:16PM
If you're ready for a healthy dose of unconventional wisdom, you've come to the right place, as a couple of confident graduate student economists at UC-Berkeley are purporting that there is "no match in the evening cellphone use spike and crash data." Basically, the duo is suggesting that although we've been on the mobile horn a lot more these days, the number of fatal vehicular accidents over the past 18 years have not experienced the same leap. Weird logic, we know, so take it for whatever it is (or isn't) worth.[Via Wired]
Filed under: Studies
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Craig @ Aug 25th 2007 7:46PM
They forgot to include the fact that safety features (airbags, Antilock brakes) and new laws (seat belt requirements, required handsfree while driving) should have driven fatalities down.
--Craig
Kirk @ Aug 25th 2007 7:53PM
Fatal may not have had an increase, but why aren't they looking at vehicular accidents in general. I know the insurance industry would be interested in those numbers.
On my way to work, I was almost hit by two different drivers with a phone plastered to their ear. One incident was because another driver infront of me was yapping away and not watching.
I want to go with the laws that are out there that other than dialing (not texting) you have to use a hands-free kit to use your phone.
I am not going to say all this without admitting I have used my phone while driving, but other than looking at the caller ID, I put my phone on speaker and set the phone in ashtray that I have padded just for that purpose.
I like the convenience, but again, like Ron White so nicely put it, "You Can't Fix Stupid!".
Iain @ Aug 25th 2007 9:44PM
They're also assuming that the spike in the use of mobiles comes solely or primarily from people driving. That won't necessarily hold true.
And if the majority of people contributing to the spike in usage aren't driving, then you would be unlikely to see any sort of corroborative statistics regarding car accidents.
Now, I'm not saying that there won't be an increase in people using phones whilst driving in the aforementioned period but, as I have pointed out, there's no proof as to who the people are who are using the phones, so it's just one more convenient assumption on their part which has lead to this spectacular piece of 'research' we see before us.
Eric Schaefer @ Aug 26th 2007 1:48AM
Yeah... right! If that's what those college grad students think then i hope they get t-boned by some f'tard running a red light because they were too busy talking on their cell phone, because I almost t-boned by one.
Drew @ Aug 26th 2007 3:21AM
That's a load of bull. I mean anyone who had a drivers license can tell you that it distracts them at least in some way or another, I'll admit to it. I've been on a bike before and have almost been hit by a car because some blond woman is blabbing away on her cell phone while rolling down the road in her Escalade.
Jason @ Aug 27th 2007 2:18AM
Well, I think that this study concludes only one thing with any certainty... People coming out of UC-Berkeley are of the most retarded individuals on Earth. And I ought to know. I used to live near there. I could just feel the stupid vibes emitting from that part of California.
iPhoney @ Aug 26th 2007 5:54AM
You're supposed to enter your phone # and IMEI code to get an "invite" to look at their website. Sounds fishy and kinda creepy to me. This couldn't be just them blowing smoke up our asses to harvest live numbers for spamming? Anyone register for an invite? If so, have you been getting spam calls?
NuShrike @ Aug 26th 2007 5:24AM
They probably also forgot to adjust for the skew of people getting better at avoiding the idiot drivers by watching out for them and such. It's easy to see and avoid such drivers driving badly and slowly when in the same direction.
We SHOULD have a rating system (like online comment systems) for drivers on the road where everybody can optionally gets one vote on each vehicle they see. Then DMV and highway patrol can follow up on the drivers with high negative ratings.