Texting behind the wheel increases accident risk by 23 times!

Cell phone use, which is one of the biggest dangers in traffic, remains on the agenda with rising accident rates both worldwide and in Türkiye. Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Specialist Instructor Esad Sadık Demirtaş stated: “Using a cell phone while driving simultaneously distracts the driver’s visual, manual, and cognitive attention, leading to reduced environmental awareness and a significantly longer reaction time.”

Demirtaş emphasized that current scientific findings show cell phone use negatively affects attention not only during driving but also for a short period afterward: “Research has found that texting while driving increases the risk of rear-end collisions by approximately 23 times. In comparison, handheld phone conversations increase this risk fourfold.”

Assistant Director of Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services, Instructor Esad Sadık Demirtaş, drew attention to the alarming rise in traffic accidents caused by cell phone use while driving.

Noticeable increase in traffic accidents linked to cell phone use

Demirtaş explained: “In recent years, there has been a clear rise in traffic accidents related to cell phone use, both globally and in Türkiye. Considering that the human brain is highly sensitive to distraction, it is extremely difficult to perform multiple tasks effectively at the same time. Using a phone while driving simultaneously distracts visual, manual, and cognitive attention, reducing environmental awareness and significantly prolonging reaction times. This particularly increases accident risk in scenarios requiring sudden decision-making. Research shows that phone use adversely affects attention not only during driving but also shortly afterward. Therefore, drivers must absolutely avoid using cell phones while driving. In addition, effective awareness campaigns and strong legal regulations with deterrent power are of great importance in raising traffic safety consciousness across society.”

Distracted driving as a critical risk factor

Highlighting that distraction while driving is a significant risk factor for traffic safety, Demirtaş said: “In this context, using a cell phone, whether to make a call, answer one, or dial a number, causes the driver’s attention to drift from the road and disrupts mental concentration. Such cognitive and visual attention losses prolong reaction times to environmental stimuli and impair correct decision-making in sudden traffic situations. Studies show that individuals who use a cell phone while driving are significantly more likely to have an accident compared to those who do not. Therefore, restricting cell phone use during driving should be considered an important preventive strategy for reducing traffic accidents.”

Is there a risk difference between talking and texting?

Demirtaş continued: “While cell phone use is one of the main factors leading to distraction while driving, there are meaningful differences between talking and texting. Talking on the phone primarily causes cognitive distraction, while texting triggers visual, manual, and cognitive distraction simultaneously. This leads the driver to take their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off driving. Research conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that texting while driving increases the risk of rear-end collisions by about 23 times, whereas handheld phone conversations increase the risk fourfold. The findings clearly reveal that texting poses a much higher threat in terms of accident risk.”

Cell phone use as a major safety issue for young drivers

Demirtaş also pointed out the link between cell phone addiction and accident risk among young drivers: “Studies show that drivers in this age group are more prone to distraction due to phone use, significantly increasing their risk of accidents. One study revealed that 58% of crashes involving young drivers were due to distraction, with 12% directly linked to cell phone use. It was also found that before an accident, young drivers took their eyes off the road for an average of 4.1 seconds. These findings clearly demonstrate that cell phone use poses a serious traffic safety problem for young drivers.”

The danger does not end when the call ends

According to a report prepared by the General Directorate of Security Traffic Department, drivers talking on the phone often fail to notice dangerous situations around them. Demirtaş explained: “The probability of not noticing a dangerous situation is around 20% during a simple phone conversation, but this rises to 29% during mentally demanding conversations. The same report shows that the likelihood of having an accident increases 4.8 times in the first five minutes after the call ends, and 1.3 times within the following 15 minutes. This suggests that even after the call ends, a driver’s focus may still linger on the conversation, increasing the risk of an accident.”

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)