New test for distracted driving: Textalyzers
Lawmakers in a handful of cities and states are considering allowing police to use devices called textalyzers to test for suspected cell phone use at the scene of car accidents.
Lawmakers in a handful of cities and states are considering allowing police to use devices called textalyzers to test for suspected cell phone use at the scene of car accidents.
“I didn’t see them!” That’s usually the first thing someone says when they’ve been involved in a vehicle-pedestrian crash. The latest statistical year shows that 5,977 pedestrians were killed in U.S. traffic crashes – one every 1.5 hours, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures. In addition, 129,000 pedestrians were treated for non-fatal crash-related injuries. While these figures remained about steady compared with the prior year, the numbers are still alarming.
The advent of the smartphone has brought with it a deluge of texting and other distractive behavior while driving a vehicle. We see people of all ages, genders and backgrounds using phones when they should be driving.