Simply do not get in accidents, and you will greatly increase your chances of getting and keeping great car insurance coverage. Perhaps easier said than done, with distractions such as your cell phone beckoning you to multi-task.
The result of making or taking calls is inattentive driving, which a recent pilot study by the U.S. Department of Transportation showed is responsible for 38 percent of accidents. Another study showed it to be the cause of 6.4 percent of crash fatalities.
By December 2005, more than 200 million U.S. residents owned cell phones, and use in the car is rising, most quickly among women and young drivers. Motorists are most distracted by dialing the phone, becoming engrossed in a conversation, or taking notes while talking.
An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study showed that cell phone-chatting drivers are four times as likely to get in a crash serious enough to injure themselves. A University of Utah study found motorists talking on hands-free phones were 18 percent slower in braking, and were less likely to recall seeing billboards, pedestrians or roadside features.
A Japanese study recently revealed one cause of cell phone distraction: While in motion, the phone needs to switch base stations to keep the connection, which causes microscopic gaps in reception. This causes the user to concentrate harder -- and take his mind off his driving.
What can you do? The simplest step is to not use a cell phone while driving. Pull over if you receive a call. Plan your trip so phone use is not necessary.
Since insurance is a "spread-the-risk" proposition, you can do more. Support laws and regulations that make driving safer for everyone, including restrictions or a ban on cell phone use if studies show it to be an unacceptable risk of the road.
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