On Sun, 16 Aug 2015 15:11:41 -0500, Muggles wrote:

I'd only agree with the idea that *some* cell phone usage while driving
may be distracting enough to cause an accident, so there would then be
another subset of statistics defining different usages of a cell phone.
From that point it might be determined how much cell phone usage had to
do with distracted driving which would make the overall percentage even
smaller widening the gap between accidents related to cell phone use and
all accidents.

I have to agree with you, as would everyone else, that *most* cellphone
usage while driving does *not* contribute to accidents.

However, most of us feel (including me) that cellphone usage, overall,
should *increase* the accident rate (since cellphone *ownership* is
almost 100% in the USA for people of driving age).

The paradox looms even taller if cellphone usage is as distracting as the
studies show (i.e., at the level of drunk driving).

So, the more strenuous we make the argument that cellphone use is
distractingly dangerous, the *larger* the paradox looms to slap us in the
face.

Where are these accidents?