SAN DIEGO – A new study released by DriveCam, which analyzed video event recorder data during collision incidents, found that in the utility industry, drivers who have been involved in collisions are more likely to get into a collision when using communications devices other than cell phones or eating and/or drinking. The study of distracted driving behavior analyzed more than 8,000 active drivers in the utilities industry between July 2009 and December 2010.

DriveCam’s findings revealed that, when compared to drivers who have not had a collision, utility drivers involved in one or more collisions are:

• 5.70 times more likely to use other communication devices

• 4.16 times more likely to eat and/or drink

• 4.00 times more likely to use a handheld cell

• 3.95 times more likely to be distracted by any type of identified distraction

In the study, what qualifies as “other communications devices” includes Nextel/chirp devices, CB Radio, 2-way radios/walkie-talkies, and similar devices.

DriveCam evaluated the difference in behavior between drivers who had experienced collisions and those who hadn’t to identify those with a statistically significant difference. Once the company had identified those drivers, those conducting the study calculated the probability of a collision based on the number of times a specific type of distraction was identified, using in-cab video recordings.

The company said it undertook the review of collision event video recordings to better understand the behaviors that lead to collisions.