Thought on cell phones, SUVs and traffic accidents

[laconicsax]

I don't buy the line that cell phones make drivers less attentive and increase the likelyhood of them getting into an accident.

Most people out there are shitty drivers. It's a sad fact. Cell phones are just being used as a lame excuse for the accidents caused by people who suck at driving.

My theory:

You have 1000 drivers. 200 are good drivers, 400 are average, and 400 suck. 5 people in the first group and 10 in the last two have cell phones.

Put these people on the roads and all of the lousy drivers get into accidents. The police find some cause for whatever happens. Since such a small number of the crashes could have cell phones involved (25/400 at most), it's statistitcally insignificant, and everyone goes about their merry way.

Now, give 150 cell phones to the good driver group and 300 to the two remaining groups (750/1000 drivers with phones).

Same number of accidents, but a higher frequency of crashes have drivers using cell phones (700 phones in 400 crashes at most). Obviously, cell phones distract drivers and they get into crashes.

Repeat the same experiment replacing cell phones with SUVs. In the 2nd test, more SUVs were involved in crashes. Does that mean that SUVs make drivers less attentive? No.

More crashes involve cell phones/SUVs because there are more on the road. An inattentive driver is an inattentive driver.

SUVs however, do lend themselves to getting bad drivers into accidents. Someone changing lanes without looking on the highway in a Honda civic is pretty likely to notice another small car in the lane next to it before they crash. Same driver in a Lincoln Navigator probably won't notice the small car until they hit it.

[RC]

1. Your second line blows away your defense of cell phone driving...

The rest you pulled out of thin air.