Talking and texting on cell phones top the list of the biggest safety problems in the minds of California drivers. That’s the result of a survey done by the state Office of Traffic Safety.
Last year, drivers said speeding and aggressive driving were the biggest safety problems on California roadways. This year, those concerns have taken a back seat to talking and texting behind the wheel. Chris Cochran in the Office of Traffic Safety says drunk driving kills more people. But he says deaths as a result of distracted driving are increasing.
“It’s the newness of the cell phone use that really has both made the problem grow very quickly over the last few years to be a real problem, and it wasn’t ten years ago, but now it really is. And the public’s perception of it has also grown”, Cochran said.
Nearly 39-percent of drivers thought talking and texting were the biggest safety problems, compared to just over 18 percent last year. This is the second year for the survey. Eighteen hundred people took part.
