Why use phones in cars when it's seen as unsafe?

A good many of us will then proceed to use our phones when driving – oblivious to the fact we may be driving the same way – if not adamant that we can drive better than others while on the phone.

According to AAA, if you see someone using a phone in a car there’s a fair chance they will also speed, fail to buckle up and drive while drowsy, or even send texts or emails while driving.

Are you rethinking your phone use yet?

"Ninety percent of respondents believe that distracted driving is a somewhat or much bigger problem today than it was three years ago, yet they themselves continue to engage in the same activities," said Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. "More work clearly is needed to educate motorists on the risks associated with using a cell phone while driving, especially given that most Americans believe this problem is becoming worse."

A survey by AAA found 69 percent of licensed drivers admitted talking on a phone while driving last month, despite 89 percent saying they believe other drivers using cell phones are a threat to their safety.

Where is the disconnect?

Those who regularly use phones in their car when pressed will further admit to the following:

• 65 percent may speed
• 44 percent drive while drowsy
• 53 percent sent a text or email
• 29 percent drove without buckling up

On the other hand, those who won’t risk using a phone in car are correspondingly less likely to indulge these risky behaviors:

• Only 31 percent admitted speeding
• 14 percent drive drowsy
• Just 3 percent sent a text or email
• 16 percent drove with no safety belt

No one really needs a study to know texting while driving is very dangerous - 95 percent disapprove of the practice. So why will 27 percent of drivers do just that at least once a month? Another 35 percent admitted reading a text while driving last month.

We all also know the younger a driver is, the more like they are to indulge in these behaviors and fortunately more and more cars are minimizing the risks of social communication in the car as they become more connected.

The impact that using a phone while driving has on reaction time roughly quadruples the risk of collision. According to the NHTSA, more than 3,000 people are killed and nearly half a million are injured each year in distracted driving crashes, and that is probably a low estimate.

Some people by nature are risk takers, but in general these are calculated risks. It would seem as a nation, we should calculate the risk of certain behaviors to be considerably higher than we do at present.