‘Tis the Season for WWD

W.W.D. It’s a fairly new acronym, and worth a few words with the holidays upon us.

State Farm released its annual research report on distracted driving, and it seems there’s yet another reason to worry about your fellow motorists — aside from stupidity, carelessness, hostility, the time of day, the proximity to the nearest bar and the possibility they’re more interested in keying in a delightful text to their BFF than scanning the road.

Texting while driving remains a relatively new, albeit growing concern, on the nation’s highways.

But now it seems an increasing number of people are also “webbing while driving,” the State Farm report shows.

The survey of nearly 1,000 motorists conducted in July shows a significant increase in the use of mobile web services while driving.

The growing popularity of smart phones is no doubt contributing to a continued rise in W.W.D., and it also makes one concerned even more so for driving safety during the holidays, a time when people’s yearning to keep in touch with one another seems to increase astronomically.

And W.W.D doesn’t just seem to be a growing problem for young people. The report shows motorists of all ages are using the mobile web while driving.

For drivers age 18 to 29 the study shows that accessing the internet via a cell phone while driving increased to 48 percent in 2012 from 29 percent in 2009, and reading social media networks while driving rose to 36 percent from 21 percent three years ago.

Checking email while driving rose to 43 percent in 2012 from 32 percent in 2009, according to the study.

People are even posting status updates while behind the wheel.

Updating social networks while driving increased from about one-in-five three years ago to 30 percent.

For all drivers, the data showed that reading social media networks while driving rose to 15 percent in 2012, and updating social networks while driving rose to 13 percent in 2012.

I remember when the biggest irritant to be encountered on the road was when someone left on their left turn signal.

Now with so many unable to resist the urge to reach out and touch someone in one form or another, no matter what they’re doing, I’d welcome a few stuck blinkers.