New research on Washington state drivers has found that too many of us are not making good decisions with smart phone use while behind the wheel.
Researchers from the University of Washington examined the driving habits of citizens in six of the state’s counties: King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Whatcom and Yakima Counties. The first study of its kind in Washington found that over eight percent of drivers use electronic devices while driving. Forty-five percent of those people were seen texting.
While eight percent seems like an extremely low number, it's important to stress the methods of the study. Their findings weren't about finding how many people drive distracted ever in their life, but those who were doing so at that moment in the random intersections of the study.
The study examined 7,800 drivers, recording various distracted driving behaviors. The most common source of distraction was handheld devices. Of the 3.4 percent who were talking on a handheld phone, half were holding it around the steering wheel.