On Sun, 16 Aug 2015 05:16:39 -0700, trader_4 wrote:

Good grief, you make a claim, then disprove it yourself.

I'm providing a balanced view since the paradox exists.
One would *assume* accidents would go up; but they're going down.
That's the paradox.

This is from the first link you provided. Click on your link and there
is a listing for "distracted driving":
http://www.census.gov/compendia/stat...es/12s1109.pdf

Unfortunately, as much as you and I would love reliable statistics on
"distracted driving", they do not exist.

You have to read *how* those statistics were generated, and, if/when you
do, you will discount them instantly. The current method of generating
those statistics makes that particular set nearly worthless.

Yet, total accidents (not injuries, not fatalities - but accidents) are
easy to compile. Trivially easy.

Accidents must be going up if distracted driving is really causing
accidents.

But, accidents in the USA are steadily going down all the while the
cellphone ownership is going up.

Hence, the paradox.

It shows that in 2009, there were 4900 fatal accidents involving
distracted driving, 450,000 accidents involving injury, etc.
So, obviously distracted driving is causing accidents and cell phones
are included as part of that category.

We are talking "accidents", not fatalities nor injuries.
Accidents are NOT going up.
Cellphone ownership is going up.

If what you and I believe is true, then if cellphone ownership is going
up, then cellphone usage while driving is *probably* going up, yet, if
distracted driving causes accidents (which we believe it does), WHERE ARE
THE ACCIDENTS?

Hence the paradox.

If your point is that then numbers don't add up, don't make sense, then
show us the conflicting data. And I'm sure it wouldn't take much
googling to find studies and a lot of evidence that cell phone usage is
a major source of distracted driving and accidents.

The data is clear.
During the entire time cellphone ownership has been going up in the USA,
accidents have been going down.

You and I know of all the studies comparing driving while texting to
drunk driving - yet - we can't find a single *reliable* set of statistics
that shows anything other than total accidents going steadily *down* in
the USA.

That's why it's the cellphone paradox.
Where are the accidents?