I saw one of those

21 Aug 2001

I saw one of those bumper stickers that said “put down your cellphone and drive” today.

While I agree that a cellphone in the hands of a moron driving a car is dangerous, there are far worse things.

According to an American Automobile Association study – one of the key studies used by the insurance industry in setting rates across the country – cell phones did not rank in the top five causes of auto accidents last year. Of the 32,000 analyzed accidents, cell phones contributed to only 1.5 percent.*
You know that ranks highest in the causes of automobile accidents at a whopping 29%? Driver distraction. Read: gawking at bumper stickers. Think about it.