There is a reason that speaking on the cellphone is illegal while driving, or using the internet on it while you are on the road. Oh and if someone texts you in the car as you drive and you need to answer it right away, that is also illegal! Why is using a cellphone while driving illegal? That is because it can lead to serious accidents which will land you in the ER.
When you use your cell phone as you drive, you are not paying attention to the road. You will miss the lights which means you will either run red lights or may suddenly stop in the middle of the intersection during a green light. You may also be endangering others as well as you could crash into another driver, a cyclist, or a pedestrian. Therefore, it is highly dangerous to use a phone while driving. Because of cellphone distractions, how many people have been admitted to the ER? Let’s go over those figures now.
The Number Of People Admitted To The ER Because Of Cellphone Distractions Is Astonishing
In 1998, that is when cellphones became more widespread as the costs were manageable since the technology for it was old enough. Therefore, between 1998 and 2019, there have been 76,043 people admitted to the ER for injuries tied to the usage of the cellphone while driving! And of those patients, researchers took 2,501 of them and were analyzing data on heads and neck injuries. And most of the people at risk for these injuries were between the ages of 13 and 29 years old.
However, not all cell phone-related distractions happened while driving because 41 percent of them happened at home and were not overly serious. One-third of the number of distracted-related cellphone injuries happened to pedestrians. Some of them were injured because drivers were not paying attention to pedestrians walking, but some pedestrians were not paying attention to on-coming cars as they were using their cell phones. Therefore, they had to be admitted to the ER as a result of that. There were a number of types of injuries that happened as a result of cell phone-related distractions.
What Type Of Injuries Were Reported Resulting From Cellphone-Related Accidents?
The most common reported injuries were head-related as it happened in about 33 percent of patients who became injured due to cell phone-related distractions. Facial injuries occurred in almost 33 percent of patients, and neck injuries happened in 12.5 percent of them.
The most common type of injury that occurred among these patients was lacerations, as well as abrasions and contusions. There were also injuries to the internal organs. However, cell phone-related injuries do not end there. In fact, there are many incidents where people have died as a result of cell phone-related distractions.
Deaths That Occurred Due To Cellphone-Related Distractions
Sure, some fatal road accidents have happened because of cell phone-related distractions. However, many people who have taken selfies in dangerous settings have died as a result of it. Deaths happened because people took selfies near oceans when they were not able to swim, tall peaks, or even in front of an upcoming train. Those were avoidable tragedies.
What Can Be Done To Help Prevent These Accidents?
The only thing that can be done is to keep bringing awareness about how dangerous it is to use cell phones to the point that it distracts you. Many jurisdictions have already made it illegal to use a cellphone while driving. However, more education needs to happen in schools about how dangerous it is to take selfies or to use cell phones in dangerous settings. If you are not paying attention to something you need to focus on since your life and the life of someone else depends on it, then you are at risk of ending up in a serious accident.
