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Sonomans are the most distracted drivers in the state

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Sonoma Valley Sun
A distracted driver with a baby on board (dizzylizzy1227, CC BY NC 2.0)
A distracted driver with a baby on board (dizzylizzy1227, CC BY NC 2.0)

A new report released by the California Office of Traffic Safety and the University of California, Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center reports that Sonoma County has the highest cases of distracted driving in the state – at 13%.

In this report, distracted driving comprises using cell phones while driving (but it can also mean eating your lunch or putting your mascara on in the car). We beat out Riverside County by 4%. Since 2011, Sonoma has seen a 11% increase in distracted driving.

A reported 9.9% of Sonomans “manipulate” their phone while driving – meaning texting, using apps, dialing numbers, etc. Sonoma also had the highest rate of users who talk on their phones via speaker phone while driving – not using a bluetooth enabled device – at 5.6% (compared with Los Angeles County at 0.3%).

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 80% of all vehicle crashes are due to some type of driver “inattention” and approximately 3,000 people are killed nationwide in accidents involving a distracted driver.

 

The number one source of distraction? Talking on the phone.

 

Consider the car one of the last respites of technology distraction and put down the phone, turn up the radio, and enjoy our beautiful Sonoma County scenery.

Explore the facts and learn about ways you can be a non-distracted driver via the Office of Traffic Safety.

Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA