70 per cent people use smartphones while driving: study

WASHINGTON :  As many as 70 per cent people use their smartphones while driving, and they do so not just to receive calls but to click selfies too, a new US study has found.
While texting (61 per cent) and emailing (33 per cent) are still the top activities of the drivers, 17 per cent study respondents said they take selfies while driving.
Drivers are also using social networking sites such as Facebook (27 per cent), Twitter (14 per cent), Instagram (14 per cent), and Snapchat (11 per cent) in addition to video chatting (10 per cent).
About 62 per cent of the respondents said they keep their smartphones within easy reach while driving, while 30 per cent said they post to Twitter “all the time” when driving, ‘GeekWire.Com’ reported.
As many as 22 per cent surveyed people said they access social networks while driving, citing addiction as a reason.
Of those who shoot videos behind the wheel, 27 per cent said they can do it safely while driving, the study conducted by US-based telecommunications company AT&T found.
The study, involving 2,067 participants who own a smartphone and drive at least once per day, was part of AT&T’s “It Can Wait” campaign that encourages people to put down their smartphones while driving. (AGENCIES)