Philadelphia car accidents rates + cell phone use

In 2009, there were 10,688 car accidents reported in Philadelphia.*

While the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania do not yet break down the statistics to show the number of accidents caused by the use of cell phones while driving, national data and anecdotal evidence suggest that a fair number of Philadelphia crashes are caused by drivers using their cell phones to talk or text while driving.

Nationally, approximately 20% of crashes involving injuries are believed to have involved a distracted driver.* The percentage of distracted driving crashes seems to be increasing with each passing year. There is no reason to believe that Philadelphia is exempt from the national trend of distracted driving injuries and fatalities.

Distracted driving stories from Philadelphia drivers and Pennsylvania auto accident attorneys suggest that distracted driver accidents are common in the City and that distracted driving solutions are needed before more people are injured or killed.

What do you think? Can the City, the Commonwealth, or private groups do more to prevent distracted driving accidents?

*Source: 2009 Pennsylvania Crash Facts & Statistics, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
*Source: www.distraction.gov, Statistics and Facts About Distracted Driving