DUI VS Distracted Driving

Undoubtedly, DUI or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can cause accidents. 26% of accidents are caused by DUI. Common casualties are teenagers aging from 16-24 years old. And it usually happens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 3PM to midnight.

Fatal accidents brought by DUI is already devastating. Yet, it is not the major cause of accidents. A new epidemic has risen brought by improvement in technology and development in social media. Distracted driving as they commonly call it comprise 86% of fatal crashes. The bad thing is it can happen anytime.

11% of drivers admitted that they use their cellphone while driving at any given time. Because of this 570, 000 accidents were recorded and 2,600 deaths occurred.

Distraction while driving can severely impact the driver. While DUI can cause car accident by 4X, distracted driving gives 8X likelihood of a car accident. According to recent study attentiveness to driving decreases by 40% when a driver is using the cellphone. Listening to music or talking to passengers.

DUI is hazardous because the BAC level of a person can be at least 0.08. At this level dizziness and drowsiness can be experienced making the driver lost its control with the wheels. However, the truth is distracted driving especially those texting are considered impaired more than a driver with 0.08 BAC level.

CDC reported that there is already a decrease in DUI yet accidents didn't drop proportion to the dropped in used of alcohol. It is because most of the drivers are not drunk yet busy texting or emailing with their friends. 90% of teenagers say they did not drink while riding or driving, 9 out of 10 of them are using cellphones while driving or have seen that drivers are distracted while driving.

The state government saw that distracted driving has been an epidemic and thus 21 states ban using cellphones while driving. Some lunched programs to educate drivers especially the teens of the importance of focus driving.

The risk of distracted driving vary by ages. Ages 30-39 are the most prone to distracted driving. It comprise 24% of accidents and it is followed by teenagers under 20 with 16% and 20-29 with 16%. Their distractions usually compose of using cellphones, emailing while driving, and chatting with friends while hands are on the wheels.

Below is a comparison between DUI and Distracted Driving.