Smartphone, texting when you drive is more and more dangerous

Using smartphone behind the wheel can be dangerous. Even a 2-second distraction can increase the risk of accidents by 20%, claims a study by driving analytics company Zendrive. The US-based study examined sensor data from more than 3 million drivers and 5.6 billion miles of trips and found that drivers are using their phones on 88% of their journeys. According to WHO (World Health organisation), car crashes accounts for 1.2 million people deaths and over 50 million disabilities every year.

A recent study by an NGO SaveLife Foundation, involving eight major Indian cities and 1,749 drivers, found that 60% people do not stop before answering a call, about 20% were involved in a near car crash while using a mobile phone and 34% had to apply sudden brakes because of distraction.

Now smartphone companies are adding smarter features that would help users fight distraction caused by an incoming call or message when they are driving.

And in Northern Ireland young drivers reduced their number of dangerous driving incidents by a fifth using a new smartphone app. ChilliDrive by Autoline Insurance measures speed, acceleration, braking and cornering during journeys to identify areas for improvement. After six months, users slashed the average value of claims made by 50%, research by the insurer said.

The data relates to drivers aged 17-21 and was revealed as part of a road safety initiative which recently brought a car crash simulator to freshers' weeks at Queen's University and Belfast Met.

ChilliDrive uses telematics technology to monitor the driving habits of its users and grade drivers on a scale of 1-5 for each recorded trip. The app creates a profile of each user and rewards safer drivers with improved rates and a significant discount on their premium.

According Bloomberg's report, over the past two years, after decades of declining deaths on the road, U.S. traffic fatalities surged by 14.4 percent. In 2016 alone, more than 100 people died every day in or near vehicles in America, the first time the country has passed that grim toll in a decade.