Distracted driving is seen as being as dangerous as drunk driving according to a University of Tennessee survey of Tennessee residents. In the study, a majority of those surveyed said that driving while distracted, while drowsy or too fast is dangerous. Despite acknowledging those risks, Tennessee drivers admitted in the survey that they still engaged in those risky driving behaviors.

The study was conducted over the phone with 928 Tennessee residents last April by the University of Tennessee's Center for Applied Research and Evaluation. The research director said that he would like "to continue the survey annually in order to identify trends in perception of safety among Tennessee drivers." The Tennessee Department of Transportation and Highway Safety Office helped fund the study in an effort to identify areas for educational programs to increase safety.

The study showed that the number of people who responded that texting while driving is unsafe was about the same as the number that stated that drunk driving is unsafe. Despite those views, more than one-fourth of those surveyed said they had sent a text message or e-mail while driving at least once in the past month, compared to four percent who said they drove while intoxicated during that same time period.

The study also found that while 95 percent said it was not acceptable to drive while drowsy, almost 25 percent admitted to driving drowsy in the past month.

Thus, the study indicates that while Tennessee drivers generally acknowledge the danger of behaviors like distracted or drowsy driving, some drivers continue to engage in these behaviors. One hopes that all drivers in Tennessee will work to avoid engaging in such harmful driving habits in order to ensure that Tennessee's roads are as safe as possible for those who use them.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, "Study: Tennesseans think texting while diving is as dangerous as drunken driving," Megan Boehnke, Jan. 25, 2012