Text messaging not illegal but data clear on its peril

From Democrat and Chronicle:

Greg Livadas
Staff writer

Although New York was the first state to ban risky cell phone use by motorists, text messaging by drivers is legal even though research has found that it increases the chance of accidents.

"When people engage in multitasking, they lose the ability to monitor themselves while they are driving," said Frank Drews, a researcher at the University of Utah at Salt Lake City who has studied cell phone and motorist safety for seven years.

"They don't even notice when they are causing problems," he said. "Other drivers, as a consequence, have to be more careful."

In a recently completed and yet-to-be released study of 19- to 24-year-olds in driving simulators, Drews found that motorists who text message while driving are six times more likely to be distracted and have an accident. When a driver texts, driving patterns change. For example, the response time to brake is 23 percent slower — 1.077 seconds when texting and driving compared with 0.881 seconds when unencumbered.

John Ulczycki, director of transportation safety for the National Safety Council, said text messaging is among the worst things a driver can do.

"Any time you take your hands, eyes or brain off the wheel it's not good," he said. "With text messaging, you take all three off the wheel."

Drews calls the result of multitasking while driving "inattention blindness."

"Drivers who are talking on a cell phone (or texting) while driving don't process that visual environment. That could be a red traffic light or the onset of a brake light."

Motorists also can become preoccupied by simply talking to passengers in the same car.

"Usually when you have a passenger, they are able to support the driver by pointing out potential hazards on the street," Drews said. "With teenagers, when you have a bunch in a car, there's an incredible level of distraction going on. They're not good for each other. Once there's two or three in a car, you probably don't get any support."

Investigators of the June 26 accident in which five Perinton teens were killed said the phone owned by the 17-year-old driver was used to make a call and send and receive text messages in the three minutes before the crash. It isn't known whether the driver, Bailey Goodman, or a passenger was text messaging.

Although not familiar with that crash, Drews said having "multiple teens, excited about going to an outing for the weekend, having another car following and someone in the car text messaging ... all of this is a recipe for a disaster. It was dark, making it more difficult to drive. ... It's a nightmare situation."

Even chatting on a hands-free phone poses the same risk as a hand-held phone conversation, Drews said. "We know that it really is the conversation that gets people distracted."

When New York banned motorists from talking on hand-held phones in 2001, text messaging was fairly uncommon.

Only Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., have joined New York in prohibiting motorists from driving and talking on hand-held cell phones. California and Washington will ban this cell phone use starting Jan 1. Also, AAA says 14 states restrict the use of cell phones by drivers younger than 18.

No state currently bans texting while driving, although it has been debated in Arizona, New Jersey and Connecticut. Washington state will ban texting while driving on Jan. 1.

That list could likely grow in the coming years as more motorists use text messaging.

# A Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. survey says 20 percent of drivers between 18 and 60 text while driving. For drivers 18 to 27, 37 percent say they text while driving.

# A survey by AAA and Seventeen magazine, released earlier this week, said teen driver distraction is a factor in 25 percent to 50 percent of their crashes. Having other teens in the car was a major distraction.

# A 2006 study by Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and Students Against Destructive Decisions showed 37 percent of teens said text messaging was extremely or very distracting, compared with 20 percent who said their emotional states were distracting; 19 percent said having friends in the car was distracting.

There's no pending legislation in New York to ban texting while driving. Some wonder why.

"If you're going to have a law that says you can't talk on the phone, it seems to be the same issue if you're texting," said Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green. "There's no question you're distracted."

Assemblyman Bill Reilich, R-Greece, said more laws aren't always the answer. "At some point, as good citizens, you have to use good judgment."

Using a phone or not, drivers are responsible for their actions while driving, said Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero, whose agency investigated the fatal East Bloomfield crash.

"If the message can get out, anytime you're operating a motor vehicle, your only responsibility is the safe operation of that car, not only for yourself but for your passengers," he said Friday. "It comes down to understanding the rules of the road and focusing on operating your vehicle. Distractions are plentiful no matter how old you are."

GLIVADAS@DemocratandChronicle.com

Includes reporting by staff writers Meaghan McDermott and Patrick Flanigan.