Surprisingly this is still new news to some, but we don’t drive as well when we’re talking or texting on our cell phones, or are looking at our pagers, laptops and handheld game devices. Keeping your eyes on the road — not some other device — may sound like common sense, but unfortunately it isn’t.
A 2006 Harris poll indicated that although many drivers acknowledge that driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time is dangerous, many still hold their phone and drive anyway. And a Connecticut study found many drivers “blatantly” ignore the state’s handheld cell phone ban while navigating roads.
The unfortunate outcome of such behavior is that accidents can and do occur. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 80 percent of crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event. The I.I.I. also reported than the use of cell phones is the No. 1 distraction for drivers, followed by drowsiness.
Taking these statistics, among others, into account, states increasingly are implementing new regulations to prohibit problem behavior while behind the wheel. Nationwide, five states and the District of Columbia — California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Washington — have made it illegal to use hand-held cell phones while driving, and the list is growing.
The Phoenix City Council hopes to ban text-messaging while driving, as it considers an ordinance that would fine violators up to $460. California recently banned teenage drivers from using all electronic devices while driving. And Idaho Falls is taking driving distraction laws one step further, as it considers a rule that would make it illegal to talk on the phone while driving if it interferes with safely controlling the vehicle, as well as would make it illegal to engage in other unsafe activities, such as applying makeup while driving or looking away from the road to pick something up.
I’m generally not a fan of increased regulation. Nevertheless, I’m glad states are taking matters into their own hands — and attempting to take cell phones out of drivers’ hands.
Because today’s drivers are scary. Take for example Nick Simmons, an 18-year-old from Ahwatukee, Ariz., who recently told the Associated Press, “If you’re a good driver, you can do it (text and drive). I can do two things at one time.”
Yet countless studies have proven that less-experienced teen drivers are more easily distracted, like, when they’re having conversations with their similarly aged passengers, let alone texting on a cell phone. Tech-savvy teenagers especially are more likely to engage in reckless behavior, as they have grown up firing messages back and forth with friends and family, the AP article stated.
With or without a phone, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, according to the American Automobile Association. Between 1995 and 2004, crashes involving 15-, 16- and 17-year-old drivers claimed the lives of 30,917 people nationwide, of which 11,177 (36.2 percent) were the teen drivers themselves.
So while it may sound harsh, the next time you hear someone like Simmons claim they can do two things at once and drive with distractions, you might want to ask the person if those two things are to die because of driving distractions.
Topics Personal Auto
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