Researchers for the state's Office of Traffic Safety observed drivers at more than 130 intersections in 17 California counties. They found about nine percent of drivers were talking or texting:
"At any one time during the day, that's hundreds of thousands of drivers are being distracted by their cell phones in California."
Chris Cochran is with the Office of Traffic Safety. He says about three percent of drivers were using handheld phones. About five percent were using a Bluetooth or headset and nearly two percent were texting or using a mobile device in some way. Cochran says texting is a major worry:
"The average time that somebody's taking their eyes off the road when they're texting is six seconds and that's enough time for you to be driving farther than the length of a football field without ever looking where you're going."