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Accidents and close call situations connected to the use of mobile phones.

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Korpinen L, Pääkkönen R. · 2012

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Nearly 14% of adults experience dangerous close calls while using mobile phones, with higher risks for those already experiencing health symptoms.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Finnish researchers surveyed over 6,000 working adults about accidents and near-miss situations involving mobile phone use. They found that 13.7% experienced close calls and 2.4% had actual accidents during leisure time where mobile phones played a role, with lower rates at work. Men, younger people, and those reporting sleep problems or minor aches showed higher accident rates while using phones.

Why This Matters

This study reveals a concerning pattern that extends beyond the typical focus on EMF radiation effects. The research demonstrates that mobile phone use creates measurable safety risks in daily life, with nearly 1 in 7 people experiencing dangerous close calls. What's particularly noteworthy is the connection between existing health symptoms and increased accident risk. The finding that people already experiencing sleep disturbances and minor aches face higher mobile-related accident rates suggests these devices may compound existing health vulnerabilities. While the study doesn't measure EMF exposure levels directly, it highlights how our constant phone use creates real-world safety consequences that deserve serious attention alongside concerns about biological effects.

Exposure Information

Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.

Study Details

The aim of our work was to study the accidents and close call situations connected to the use of mobile phones.

We have analyzed how the accidents/close call situations are connected to background information, in...

Altogether 13.7% of respondents had close call situations and 2.4% had accidents at leisure, in whic...

Cite This Study
Korpinen L, Pääkkönen R. (2012). Accidents and close call situations connected to the use of mobile phones. Accid Anal Prev. 45(2):75-82, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{l_2012_accidents_and_close_call_2303,
  author = {Korpinen L and Pääkkönen R.},
  title = {Accidents and close call situations connected to the use of mobile phones.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22269487/},
}
PubMed: 22269487

Cited By (27 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Finnish researchers found that 13.7% of over 6,000 working adults experienced close calls and 2.4% had actual accidents during leisure time where mobile phones played a role. Work-related incidents were lower at 4.5% and 0.4% respectively over 12 months.
Yes, men tend to have more close calls and accidents while using mobile phones compared to women. The 2012 Finnish study of working adults found gender was a significant factor in mobile phone-related incident rates.
Younger people tend to have more accidents and close calls while using mobile phones, though researchers noted the difference may not be large enough to warrant specific intervention measures according to this Finnish workplace safety study.
People reporting sleep disturbances and minor aches showed a slight increase in mobile phone-related accidents and close calls. Finnish researchers found these health symptoms may increase accident risk when using phones during daily activities.
Phone-related accidents are more common during leisure time than at work. The study found 13.7% had leisure close calls versus 4.5% at work, and 2.4% had leisure accidents versus 0.4% workplace accidents.