Study: College Students Use Mobile Apps While Driving
By David Thomas
March 5, 2015
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A recent study — albeit a small one — by a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that one-third of her fellow students use smartphone applications while driving.
The small set of 93 UAB students isn’t enough of a sample to make firm conclusions, but 10% said they use mobile apps “often,” “almost always” or “always while driving.” More than a third said they use apps “sometimes.” There was no mention of texting being listed separately; however, the study pointed to the need to ban all mobile apps while driving, not just text-message users.
Thirty-three states ban texting while driving, but no state bans mobile apps as a whole, likely because mobile apps can be passive, like Pandora, and don’t require hands-on use while driving.