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.

Drunk driving, driving while intoxicated, driving under the influence, DWI and DUI; whatever you call it is dangerous.  With the recent attention directed toward distracted driving and texting while driving we have not heard a lot about drunk driving in Louisville, Kentucky. The affects it can cause behind the wheel of an automobile is still a major cause of auto accidents and deaths in Kentucky.  As a personal injury attorney I represent car accident victims who have been injured by drunk drivers. Some of these injuries are serious and could have been prevented. Negligently getting behind the wheel of an automobile after having too much to drink is never a good idea. I urge everyone to use restraint during the holiday season.

            Have our views toward drunk driving really changed? Are we more complacent? The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has released a national survey pin pointing drinking and driving attitudes and behaviors.  This survey has confirmed the importance of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) and their work to help eliminate drunk driving and to keep alcohol out of the hands of teens and minor drivers.  The work that MADD has done in the last 30 years since its inception is amazing.  Since MADD came into existence drunken driving fatalities have dropped almost 44 percent.  The survey also shows that there is still public concern about drunk driving. Four out of five people in the survey considered drinking and driving as a major concern to them personally.

            MADD has long been a proponent of in-car breathalyzers, also known as ignition interlocks, and sobriety checkpoints.  This survey shows a high level of support for these methods of preventing and catching drunk drivers. This is a big part of MADD’s campaign to eliminate drunk driving.            

Unfortunately the survey confirms that under aged drinking is still a significant problem in the United States.  Having a teenage daughter that is out on Jefferson County roads makes this a big concern to me. MADD knows that when kids start drinking alcohol they are more likely to become drunk drivers.  They advocate that parents speaking with their children about the dangers of drinking under aged early and often.  The data in this new survey confirms this.  The bottom line is don’t ignore this issue. Get the elephant in the room out in the open. Have a conversation with your teenage driver about the dangers of drinking and driving. It may save their life.

The effort to eliminate intoxicated driving is ongoing. Laura Dean-Mooney, President of MADD  stated “Ultimately the survey just emphasizes the importance of MADD’s work. We must continue our work to make American families safe from the dangers of drunk driving and underage drinking- lives are at stake.” I agree.

Texting while driving is a national concern.  The problem is extensive. You see it on interstates, rural roads and subdivisions. We see it every day on our Kentucky roads. Texting while driving has been termed an epidemic. It has been compared to drunk driving, and is perhaps more dangerous.   

A new group, called FocusDriven has developed a program that is patterned after the Mothers Against Drunk Driving.  This program grew out of the Summit on Distracted Driving which was held last year in Washington, D.C. The Summit was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation.  FocusDriven is urging people to break the habit of texting while driving.  They have indicated that texting is similar to any other addictive behavior.  People have become addicted to their cell phones.   

I hope that FocusDriven is as successful as MADD has been in pressuring legislatures and spear heading changes in laws against drunk drivers that cause fatal automobile accidents.  

Safe driving is something that we all should be concerned with.  Distracted driving is not safe driving.  Initially FocusDriven will be operated as an army of people traveling the country helping to convince people to put their cell phones away while they are behind the wheel of a car. The group is led by Jennifer Smith whose mother was killed by a driver who was talking on a cell phone in 2008.   

There are numbers and statistics to support the statement that distracted driving has become a national epidemic.  In 2008, 5,870 people lost their lives in crashes reported to police in which at least one form of driver distraction was listed on the police report as a cause of the accident.  An additional 515,000 people were injured in these accidents.  Distracted driving, as listed on a police accident report, is not just texting while driving.  It  also includes other forms of distraction such as: 

·        cell phone use;

·        eating;

·        drinking;

·        talking with passengers;

·        using in vehicle technology;

·        the use of peripheral electronic devices. 

            The percentage of those distracted and listed on accident reports has increased since 2004 by 3 percent.  My guess is that this number has gone up since the last statistics were reported.   

            Believe it or not the less than 20 age group has the highest proportion of distracted driving.  I say this tongue in cheek. It is obviously no surprise. This group encompasses 16 percent of the accidents caused by distracted driving.  I know this statistic is not surprising but there is good news.  The percentage drops to 12 percent for the ages 20 through 29.   

Statistics show that a driver that uses a handheld device is four times more likely to get in a crash.  We just need to put the cell phones down.  It is the hope that FocusDriven will be a valuable resource for those who have lost loved ones as a result of an accident involving texting while driving and other distracted driving.  They will also focus on prevention much as the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers have. 

            Additionally the Department of Transportation has put an emphasis on putting an end to distracted driving.  It is a top priority for them.  They have launched a federal web site.  This web site has information on distracted driving.  Use these resources to educate yourself. If you text while driving get information that will help you stop. If you know someone who has a problem, give them this information. It could save a life.