Cell Phone Primary Distraction on Roadways

The first-ever survey of distracted driving shows that cell phone is far and away the primary source of inattention while driving in Washington State.

Angie Ward with the Washington Traffic Safety Commission says is not only the most common, but also far worse than other forms of distraction such as eating or using the radio.

"When you're using your cellphone, you're distracted in three ways. You've got the physical distraction, you've got your hands off the wheel in some cases. You have the visual distraction that you're looking down at your phone and then the biggest thing is that you have that cognitive distraction of you're carrying on with somebody who is not with you."

That situation is called Inattention Blindness which one study said can take a driver's focus for 27 seconds.

Drivers in Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Kittitas County are more distracted than the average Washington driver according to Ward.

"In Chelan County about 11 percent were distracted. In Douglas County 17 percent were distracted. In Grant County 12.4 percent and then Kittitas County had a 20 percent distraction rate."

The statewide average is 9.2 percent but Ward warns that these numbers are just the first time they've done the survey, so it's hard to know if it's just a one-time occurrence or a true sense of distracted driving.

The most distracted county was Kitsap with 20.5 percent and the most focused was Cowlitz with 3.6 percent.