Is there really a distracted driving crisis? Is distracted driving a major cause of car accidents? Who should have to solve it-the auto or cell phone industry? Today’s generation of drivers are so attached to their cell phones and in-car technology. Car and phone makers are working together to reduce distractions by better linking mobile devices with cars. Some safety advocates and federal officials say that this is also risky and doose not solve the problem. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has made distracted driving his key priority since 2009. Last December, the National Transportation Safety Board called on states to ban both handheld and hands-free cell phone use while driving.
There are still questions as to whether cell phones and other visual and cognitive distractions play a large role in car accidents because police reports are unreliable in this area. Cell phones were a factor in about 13% of fatal crashes last year, NHTSA says. In February, the agency proposed guidelines that would first deal with potential distractions from navigation systems and other in-car technology. IIHS spokesman Russ Rader stated, “Distracted driving is a problem, but it isn’t new, and the data don’t show that it has gotten worse during the rise of cellphones and the use of other electronics by drivers. While all the studies clearly show cellphone use is a distraction, the use of phones by drivers hasn’t resulted in an epidemic of crashes.” Automatic braking and lane-departure warning are some examples that help prevent crashes no matter what distracts a driver. The institute pointed this out to focus more on.
Peter Kissinger, CEO of AAA’s safety foundation, says both the auto and cell phone industries need to do more on the issue of distraction. NHTSA focus is on the safety of the integration of communication technologies. But Kissinger disagrees with this. He believes that mobile device suppliers are the missing player since many of the devices are being implemented in cars. Cars have small screens, tiny keys, fonts and touch-screen and are clearly less suited for use while driving.
With all these issues discussed by different institutes each having different sides, others may be blinded and confused. But as a Kentucky personal injury attorney, I still go with the NTSB’s recommendation to ban all phone use in cars. Isn’t one less Kentucky car accident enough to implement such a band? Do we have to have an office on wheels? Is one fatal car accident and one life saved enough for us to wait for that call?
The use of cell phones while driving has become a serious public health problem. There have been reported cases of victims being injured and even dying due to distracted driving. Many states have passed laws making it illegal to use handheld cellular phone while driving. In Kentucky, the use of personal handheld electronics is banned for drivers under the age of 18. All state laws allow the use of hands-free cell phone.
Hands-free device are often viewed as a solution to the risks of driver distraction since they minimize the two obvious risks of looking away from the road and removing hands from the steering wheel. On the other hand, cognitive distraction or taking your mind off the road may also occur talking with hands-free device while driving. Hands-free devices do not eliminate cognitive distraction. The National Safety Council reported that drivers using any type of communication device, hands-free or not, have a tendency to “look at” but not “see” an object, and fail to notice 50 percent of their environment. This is an alarming statistic. Distracted drivers mostly experience inattention blindness and one in danger of not being able to execute a safe response to avoid a car crash. Many studies have shown that talking on hands-free devices delays response and reaction time.
Many of us are now using our cars as an extension of our office. It is a big challenge to quit using cell phones, whether handheld or with a hands-free devices while driving. Can you stop? Can we stop as a society? Your life may depend on it. As we increase the awareness about the risks of hands-free devices and cognitive distraction more of us will get the message. Be a part of reducing car crashes, injuries and death by being a disciplined and responsible driver.
Distracted driving, texting while driving: We have all heard the terms. Is it really that dangerous? Should we be worried? Teens do this every day, shouldn’t they be good at it? The road can be dangerous anytime one encounters a distracted driver.
Here’s a video I came across that really shows how dangerous texting while driving is “Not everyone should text and walk. No one should text and drive.”Ouch! Bad things happen if a driver isn’t looking at the road. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens. The majority of these crashes are caused by inexperience or distractions. More than 5,000 teens (ages 16-20) are killed in passenger vehicle crashes each year. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could prevent these needless deaths?
With the immense popularity of mobile devices, teens and adults are generally hooked to texting and talking over mobile phones even while doing other activities. The use of a cell phone while driving slows down the reaction time of the driver and it can be the same as that of a 70-year old. The American Automobile Association reports that nearly 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving. This act can be a disastrous.
The challenge still continues on making people, specifically teens, really understand the dangers caused by using a cell phone behind the wheel. There are many movements that help educate people on safe driving. Each of us can play an important role to minimize motor vehicle crashes. Parents should set as an example of having a good driving behavior. Keep in mind that safety matters and it is wrong to text and drive. Forward this video to all the teens you know. Maybe it will make a difference and prevent a fatal car accident.
We all know the dangers of texting while driving. We have been made aware of how dangerous driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is by organizations like MADD. Both activities can have the same catastrophic consequences that can lead to death or serious injury. Did you know that distracted driving is now the leading cause of death among American Teens? Alcohol-related accidents and deaths among teens has actually decreased. It’s hard to believe until you really think about it.
I will hazard a guess that almost everyone has used their cell phones while behind the wheel of a car. We see other drivers talking and texting while driving, using headsets, and hand-held or hands-free devices. Try counting the number on your way into work tomorrow; I think the number will surprise you.
The average time your eyes are off the road while texting is five seconds. Anything can happen within this time and often does. A child runs after a ball in the road. The car in front of you slams on their brakes. You get the picture. The University of Utah conducted a study in 2009 that found the use of a cell phone while driving delays a driver’s reaction time the same as having a blood alcohol concentration at the Kentucky legal limit of .08 percent! Researchers at the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University detected that concentration and focus on driving decrease by 40 percent when a driver is distracted. With so many people using cell phones, we can say that it becomes more dangerous than driving under the influence.
The battle against distracted driving and driving under the influence is a never ending war. Yes a war because death is inevitable when people engage in these activities. How do we stop it? Awareness campaigns are one avenue. Stringent enforcement of cell phone laws is another. Unfortunately, these laws need more teeth to make people refrain from using cell phones while driving. Increasing fines and suspending or revoking license or jail time may do the trick. Unfortunately, there is no quick answer because we will have to change the way society views cell phone use behind the wheel. Are we too late with the 25 and under crowd? It seems to be a part of their life. Cell phones seem to be permanent attachments. All of the above will be needed to turn the tide and save lives.
The overall number of traffic fatalities during the first six months of 2011 decreased but not for 16-and 17-year-olds! Their number went up from 190 to 211. This is an 11 percent increase. Deaths among 16-year-old drivers went up from 80 to 93 (a 16 percent rise). During that same period deaths among 17-year-olds rose from 110 to 118 (7 percent). This was reported to be the first increase in eight years according to information from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
Florida, Texas and North Carolina are among the states that have the most significant increases in teen fatalities. There were 23 states that reported jumps in traffic deaths, 19 states had decreases and eight states plus the District of Columbia saw no change.
Author Allan Williams, formerly the chief scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said in a GHSA statement that, “While it is not a surprise that these numbers are stabilizing or slightly increasing, states should not accept these deaths as something that cannot be prevented. More work can and should be done to save teen lives.” He speculated that the increase may be due to the leveling off of initial benefits from ‘Graduated Driving Licensing laws. The economy may also be a factor because, more teens are behind the wheel and thus increasing their risk for fatal accidents.
Barbara Harsha, GHSA executive director, believes that states need more federal help to save more teen lives. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the states should have funds to be put toward “distracted driving” campaigns directed at teen drivers who may be texting, phoning or simply carrying on with friends while driving.
As a personal injury attorney and a parent, I personally get involved in showing my teens safe driving habits. Distracted driving is 4 times more dangerous than drunk driving. I prohibit them to any type of distractions while driving, especially electronic devices. Texting and driving is an epidemic. Programs and campaigns that bring awareness to the dangerous associated with distracted driving will help. In my opinion, however it goes back to the parents. Our examples and rules prohibiting texting while driving will do more than any federally funded program.
The Chicago Automobile Trade Association (CATA) launches The 2012 Chicago Auto Show which started February 10 and will go through February 19. Vehicle manufacturers displayed their latest and high-technology vehicle creation at this show.
During the show, GMC unveiled the new 2013 GMC Acadia crossover vehicle. It has all the latest technologies. It delivers higher level of technology with its new Color Touch radio with IntelliLink, touch-activated controls and color-touch navigation. The IntelliLink adds voice control and seamless smartphone integration. A GMC engineer explained that once you plug your smartphone in, Acadia’s computer system will “read incoming texts to you…so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road.” However, Joel Cooper, a University of Utah psychologist and research assistant professor specializing in distracted driving said that, “it doesn’t look good” and that “Cognitive distraction is not trivial”. This news sounds good for some who uses cell phones while driving and those who want to make their life easier. But does this invention really ensure safety? The real question is will the distraction take our eyes off the road and cause serious car accidents?
We all that that studies have shown that hands-free devices are as dangerous as hand-held devices and it causes distraction if you are behind the wheel. Just the fact of having a conversation has been shown to distract a driver’s attention from the road. Driving with the use of hands-free devices can still cause the brain to multitask and is cognitively distracted. The use of a cell phone and even the use of hand-held or hands-free devices by drivers are banned in some States.
It has been a challenge to get people to understanding about the risks of talking on hands-free or handheld cell phones while driving. New technologies and inventions may be cool and make our lives easier in the fast lane. It allows is to conduct business during commutes as a Kentucky Personal Injury attorney I wonder whether it is worth the risk if there is even the slightest chance that this distraction would cause a serious injury car accident. What do you think?
“Techie World” may be the best description for the modern world. There seems to be something new every day. We all have gadgets. I bet that we all received one this Holiday season. Cell phones are not just for making phone calls. There are games, apps and GPS. This makes it harder to avoid using a cell phone behind the wheel of a car.
We all know the dangers associated with texting while driving as well as other distracted driving behaviors. Different awareness programs and media campaigns have been organized to inform the nation’s drivers of the hazards associated with using the phone behind the wheel. I am not sure anyone is paying attention to these! It has been estimated by the National Safety Council that talking on the phone causes 1.2 million crashes a year and texting another 100,000. If we all know the danger, why do we still have this high number of crashes every year? Many states have already enacted anti-texting while driving law hoping to make the roads safer for drivers. The issue maybe how to regulate the laws because they are difficult to enforce.
Nearly 6 in 10 motorists admit to driving and talking on a cell phone, and 37 percent acknowledged to texting while behind the wheel of a car, according in a recent Harris Interactive Healthy Day poll. This is alarming! Drivers know the dangers of texting while driving but, still think they’re capable of doing it. It can never happen to me! This is the wrong attitude. The use of phones behind the wheel of a motor vehicle is a major threat to traffic safety! Not only for those committing the act, but also for drivers sharing the road. Let’s wake up and save lives. Dnt txt n drv!
Do you remember the ZZ Top song “Arrested While Driving While Blind”? It referred to driving while so drunk that you couldn’t see. Today’s version might include a verse about texting and driving and how it makes you blind to the road. Controlling a motor vehicle requires 100% of one’s attention at ALL times! If you do anything that draws your attention away from driving it puts you and others at risk of death. Distracted driving remains a problem on Kentucky roads even though we know its risks and dangers. According to car safety experts, 40% of car accidents are caused by distracted driving. I know this is hard to believe, but distracted driving is more dangerous than drunk driving.
The most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones while behind the wheel. In Kentucky, 192 collisions were reported in 2010 due to use of cell phones for talking or texting while driving. Despite the implementation of a texting ban in Kentucky and other States nationwide, there are still people using their cell phones and there are still reported cases of car accidents caused by texting while driving.
The Study made by the Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University found out that brain power used while driving decreases by 40% when a driver listens to conversation or music. Driving while doing other things is just like driving blind. Watch this video produced by Cindy Speaker and you can really see the danger that distracted driving can cause you and the people around you.
As a personal injury attorney, it troubles me to see reports of victims, especially teens, involved in car crashes caused by distracted driving. Do people not realize that once they move attention away from driving, they are putting their own lives and the lives of innocent people at a huge danger? Texting can wait or unimportant text messages can ruin lives. A call and a text can wait until you have reached your destination. Don’t cause a serious car accident by Driving While Blind.
Texting Ban Laws have been implemented in many States in an effort to eliminate the use of cell phone while driving and cut down on serious automobile accidents. Distracted driving has become the leading cause of auto accidents among teens. Each state uses different methods of enforcement of their law. There are even additional regulations in some local jurisdictions. The use of hand held devices while driving are prohibited by all drivers in 9 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. 30 states and the District of Columbia restrict novice drivers from using cell phones. The use of a cell phone while driving a school bus is prohibited in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Recently, the National Safety Council congratulated the Pennsylvania General Assembly for the passage of Senate Bill 314 which makes sending text message while driving a violation for all drivers. Pennsylvania has become the 35th State to outlaw text messaging while behind the wheel for all drivers. The law will take effect 120 days after it is signed. It has been estimated by NSC that because of S.B. 314, at least 12 lives will be saved each year and about 1,200 injuries requiring medical attention will be prevented in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania enforcement provision is key which permits police to pull over a driver for the violation alone. The fine will be $50. Many states make texting while driving a secondary offense, which means their police can not pull the offender over unless there is another violation associated with it.
In an annual meeting in South Carolina, Horry Country Councilman urged legislators to pass a ban on texting and other cell phone use while driving in South Carolina. Some meeting participants support the idea while others did not. According to the legislators, such bill has been introduced but has not gone anywhere.
In Kentucky, about 150 tickets have been written in the first six months of active enforcement of distracted driving law. The texting ban by all drivers was implemented in July 2010 and police began writing tickets in January 2011. The law also bans use of all personal communications devices by drivers under 18. Distracted driving citations are $25 for first offense and then $50 plus court costs.
As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I believe that more lives will be saved with the enforcement of texting ban, the campaign to stop distracted driving and increasing awareness of distracted driving. It must start with allowing police to enforce the law. To do this we must ban all cell phone use behind the wheel unless it is totally hands free. This would allow police to pull over offenders and write tickets to anyone who is using a cell phone while driving. A texting violation can be defended by simply stating “I was making a phone call”. Texting bans are a start but we need to go further and ban all non hands free use of a cell phone while driving a car.
Distracted driving is the number one killer of American Teens as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It has been reported that 16% of all drivers under the age of 20 that were involved in a fatal accident have been distracted while driving. Texting while driving is dangerous and deadly but teens, who are more prone to use cell phones while driving are at the highest risk, ignore this. Several states have passed statutes to ban the use of cell phones while driving. Pennsylvania is getting ready to join the more than 30 other states that ban all motorists from texting while driving.
A nationwide public service advertising campaign has been launched that hopes to reduce the number of deaths from distracted driving by educating young adult drivers about the dangers of texting while driving. The campaign is sponsored by state Attorney Generals and Consumer Protection agencies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council. The campaign is reaching out to drivers through TV, radio, outdoor and digital public service announcements as well as Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Connecticut and Tennessee are participating in the campaign to increase the awareness of teens of the law and the dangers of texting and driving. Attorney General George Jepsen of Connecticut said, “Laws prohibiting texting while driving are not enough. We need to change the culture, starting with the age group most proficient with new technology. They have the power to save lives by focusing on the road and not their cell phones while driving. Stop the texts to stop the wrecks.” Moreover, Attorney General Bob Cooper said, “Imagine closing your eyes while driving for the amount of time it takes to read a text message. Reading a text message is no less dangerous than any other diversion that takes your eyes off the road, and it can carry deadly consequences.”
As a personal attorney, I strongly support this new public service campaign. Texting while driving kills and changes lives in the process. Statistically distracted driving is more dangerous thn drunk driving. This epidemic must be stopped. Our battle cry should be STOP THE TEXT TO STOP THE WRECKS.
