Kbb.com Poll: Drivers Reluctant to Put Phones Down While Behind the Wheel

Distracted Drivers Admit to Eating, Texting and Grooming while on the Road

News provided by

Oct 18, 2010, 05:00 ET

IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new car and used car information, today reports the results of a kbb.com home page quick poll revealing distracted driver behaviors. The latest poll shows that despite continuing warnings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the potential dangers of in-vehicle cell phone use, the average driver still seems reluctant to stop using one while on the road.

The recently completed kbb.com quick poll(1) found that of nearly 7,700 online respondents, 22 percent admitted to having used a hand-held cell phone during the past 30 days, while 10 percent said they had used some form of hands-free/Bluetooth device.

Taking second spot on this distressing distinction list was eating while driving, which 21 percent of respondents pled guilty to, with texting while driving (13 percent), fiddling with the navigation system (12 percent), and using an iPod (seven percent) filling out the top five infractions. Two other potential distraction creators -- engaging in various forms of on-the-fly personal grooming and reading e-mail -- accounted for less than five percent (each) of responses. Six percent of those who answered the kbb.com poll said they had engaged in none of the above practices, while barely one percent claimed to have been guilty of all.

According to the latest NHTSA report, distracted driving is reaching epidemic proportions. It found that in 2009, 5,474 individuals died and 448,000 were injured in distracted-driving related accidents on U.S. highways. More critically, 18 percent of the fatalities and five percent of the injuries involved the use of a cell phone while driving.

"In today's always-connected on-the-go lifestyle, with in-car infotainment systems becoming more and more prevalent, we understand that the urge to engage in distracted driving behaviors looms large for many drivers behind the wheel," said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "It is going to take a joint effort by automakers in their new-product technology development, government agencies like NHTSA, and most importantly, drivers themselves, to enforce a balance between connectivity and responsible driving to ensure safety on the roads."

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com frequently conducts one-question home page quick polls to gather consumer insight into a variety of topics. To view past questions and results from kbb.com home page quick polls, visit the "Driver Input" section of the Kelley Blue Book Media Center at www.kbb.com/media.

(1) The quick poll question, "In the last 30 days, have you used or done any of the following while actively driving?" ran on the home page of Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com from September 21- October 5, 2010, and had 7,692 respondents.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Since 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, has provided vehicle buyers and sellers with the new- and used-vehicle information they need to accomplish their goals with confidence. The company's top-rated website, www.kbb.com, provides the most up-to-date pricing and values, including the New Car Blue Book® Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. The company also reports vehicle pricing and values via products and services, including software products and the famous Blue Book® Official Guide. According to the C.A. Walker Research Solutions, Inc. - 2009 Spring Automotive Website Usefulness Study, kbb.com is the most useful automotive information website among new- and used-vehicle shoppers, and half of online vehicle shoppers visit kbb.com. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com also is a W3 Gold Award winner, sanctioned by the International Academy of Visual Arts. Kbb.com is a leading provider of new car prices, used car values, car reviews, new cars for sale, used cars for sale, and car dealer locations.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book