It’s no secret that cellphones are a leading cause of accidents in cases of distracted driving. In recent years, it’s become increasingly clear that texting and driving poses a persistent threat to the safety of modern drivers. As a result, a number of organizations have launched initiatives to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and discourage the use of phones while driving.
According to a study conducted at the University of the West of England, however, cellphonephone use could be a contributing factor in even more car accidents than previously thought. In the study, British police officers and accident investigators were polled to find out whether or not they believed phone-related accidents were being accurately reported by investigative teams. In their responses, a full three quarters of participants expressed concerns that they lacked the resources required to accurately report the full proportion of phone-related accidents in their jurisdictions.
In some cases, police reported that budgetary restrictions prevented them from conducting thorough investigations of accidents that were thought to be phone related. In others, officers reported that their departments lacked the technology required to examine mobile phones in the immediate aftermath of a car accident. A device known as “the textalyzer” has been developed to help police analyze mobile phone activity following accidents, but it has yet to be adopted by most law enforcement agencies.
In light of these issues, it’s possible that phone-related car accidents are being widely underreported by law enforcement agencies. Many of the police surveyed in the study expressed a belief that these accident figures would be significantly higher if they were able to investigate every collision that was thought to be related to cellphone use. Unfortunately, police are often forced to forego investigations due to a lack of time and resources.
At 4N6XPRT Systems, we’ve spent more than two decades helping attorneys and law enforcement agencies to investigate car accidents with powerful accident reconstruction software tools like 4N6XPRT BioMeknx. To learn more about this or any of our other software tools, contact us today.