June 1, 2005
Tests stress text risk for drivers
A research group in Australia has released research which shows that young drivers - between the ages of 18 and 21 - who are busy "SMSing" have their eyes off the road four times longer than law-abiding motorists, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
"The research was conducted using a simulator at the Monash University Accident Research Centre, with drivers who had held their licence for six months or less.
"This research has quantified just how dramatic an impact messaging has on a driver's focus on the road.
"We found that when driving and sending messages at the same time, young drivers would veer out of their lane 63 per cent more frequently [than drivers who weren't messaging].
"Also, the drivers in the study made 140 per cent more incorrect lane changes by not noticing or correctly reading signs when text messaging."
Picture comes from a collection of unusual roadsigns from The Philippines.
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