Allianz Insurance
Distracted driving caused by modern technology is increasingly becoming a danger
03/01/2023, 1:45 p.m
Operate the navigation system, select music, read text messages – according to Allianz Versicherung, modern technology is becoming increasingly dangerous when driving. “The risk of accidents increases by around 50 percent when using modern communication, entertainment and comfort technologies,” said the Allianz Center for Technology on Wednesday in Munich.
The safety researchers surveyed more than 1,200 drivers last summer. 32 percent said they read text messages while driving. 26 percent type text messages while driving. The proportion of young drivers up to the age of 24 is significantly higher: “Four out of ten typed or read electronic messages with their mobile phones in their hands.” More than half of all respondents used the navigation system, for example to enter a destination. And “87 percent of those surveyed who have to operate their radio via the on-board computer do so while driving,” said study author Jörg Kubitzki. “That increases the risk of an accident by 89 percent.”
The consequences are fatal: “In 2021, according to the police, there were 117 deaths nationwide and more than 8,000 injured in accidents in which the drivers were distracted,” said Christoph Lauterwasser, head of the Allianz Center for Technology. “That’s five percent of those killed . However, the number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher.” Internationally, the reported proportions are even higher.
