American Motorists Growing Disgruntled with Cell Phone Users

Washington DC July 8, 2005; The AIADA newsletter reported that nearly one-third of all U.S. drivers pit cell phone use by fellow drivers as their main annoyance while on the road, according to the recent Drive for Life poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research and partly sponsored by Volvo Cars of North America.

A growing concern among safety advocates and motorists alike, nearly four of ten drivers today admit to using their cell phones while operating a motor vehicle, reports The Associated Press. More from the poll: roughly half of American motorists surveyed felt less safe on the road today versus five years ago, consider driving more aggravating than was the case two years ago, and feel they are more likely to get into a crash.

Among other distractions, the poll found that 33 percent of drivers surveyed said “they had driven while drowsy, 17 percent said they had read something while driving and 8 percent said they had adjusted a DVD player for passengers while driving. Six percent admitted to sending or reading text messages and consulting a global positioning system while driving.”

An interesting finding and one placing the spotlight on the safety of teen drivers -- sixty-four percent of drivers aged 16 to 20 reported talking on a cell phone while driving, while thirty-two percent of this same population indicated they read or send text messages while driving.