From Occupation Health and Safety Online:
The study of 20 young drivers showed they were more likely to miss lane changes and to vary their lane position and following distances when texting as they drove.
Aug 31, 2009
Two new articles published in Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society examine the effects of texting while driving and the influence of a training video that shows drivers the problems associated with distracted driving. Training videos are beneficial, the latter article states, while the texting study of 20 young drivers showed they were more likely to miss lane changes and to vary their lane position and following distances.
Authors Simon G. Hosking, Kristie L. Young, and Michael A. Regan of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation of Australia's Department of Defence measured how long 20 young novice drivers texting with a cell phone spent not looking at the road and found the time was as much as 400 percent greater than during non-texting conditions. Drivers' variability in lane position increased up to about 50 percent, missed lane changes rose by 140 percent, and variability in following distances to lead vehicles rose by about 150 percent.
The second study evaluated the impact of a computer-based training module about distractions on drivers' attitudes and behaviors. Forty drivers ages 18 to 20 were divided into a training group and a control group that viewed an unrelated video. Drivers performed in-vehicle tasks while driving an instrumented vehicle on a closed test track. The researchers found drivers in the training group showed a decline in their ratings of willingness to engage in distracting activities and a corresponding increase in perceived risk. They also were more likely to perform in-vehicle tasks while the vehicle was parked than were drivers in the control group, whose ratings had not changed. This paper, "Effects of a Computer-Based Training Module on Drivers' Willingness to Engage in Distracting Activities," was prepared by Liberty Mutual's William J. Horrey, Mary F. Lesch, Arthur F. Kramer, Ph.D., and David F. Melton.
Both articles are available through OnlineFirst, a feature offered through SAGE's electronic journal platform, SAGE Journals Online.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Shocking Stats on Texting While Driving
From CBS News:
When I think about all the possible dangers associated with technology (cyberbullying, sexting, inappropriate material, online and game addiction and even the remote chance of being harmed by a predator), nothing strikes me as scarier than texting while driving.
A recently released study (PDF) by the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a "crash or near crash event" than "nondistracted driving." As per talking on a cell phone, the same study found no increased risk for truck drivers and 1.3 times the risk for car drivers. There was considerably more risk associated with dialing while driving. The institute's Richard Hanowski acknowledges that the numbers are likely to be different with car drivers. As reported by CNET's Jennifer Guevin, the study also found that "texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time...to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph."
A December 2007 simulator study by Clemson University found that "text messaging and using iPods caused drivers to leave their lanes 10 percent more often."
Paul Green, research professor at University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute who has done a decade's worth of research on driver distraction, said "from the science so far, it's very clearly a problem. We don't have exact statistics yet, we have enough information to say that texting shouldn't be permitted while driving."
The New York Times has created an interactive game that measures how reaction time is affected by distractions.
Teens at biggest risk
When it comes to texting while driving, teens are a particular risk group considering that, according to Nielsen (PDF), "The average U.S. mobile teen now sends or receives an average of 2,899 text-messages per month" and apparently some of those texts are being sent and read from behind the wheel.
A 2007 study conducted by AAA and Seventeen magazine has been widely misquoted as 46 percent of teens admit to texting while driving. But what the study found is that "61 percent of teens admit to risky driving habits." Forty-six percent of that 61 percent say that they text message while driving.
This issue is in the news a bit more than usual these days because of a shocking video created by a police department in the UK. It depicts a teenage girl texting while driving followed by a terrible crash with gruesome results for her friends in her car and the family whose car she hit. Before viewing the video (scroll down) please be aware that it is graphic and very disturbing. And before forwarding it to a teenager, also be aware that many youth risk prevention specialists question the effectiveness of videos that try to use shock value to change teen behavior.
Shock videos can backfire
Russell Sabella, professor of counseling in the College of Education, Florida Gulf Coast University, says that "While there is some research that shows that some students can be sensitized to potential consequences from videos like it, there is also evidence that students get emotionally aroused in the short term but desensitize in the long term. He said "some students get reinforced by the message that this happens to others but 'it won't happen to me.'"
Professor Sabella "would rather see a video with more positive role modeling such as someone who turns off their phone before they drive or perhaps uses a "designated texter"--someone else in the car who can do the texting for you." If a shock video is going to be used, he said "is has be of a comprehensive effort which includes kids, parents, teachers, legislators, and authorities."
"A more effective approach," said Patti Agatston from the Marietta, Ga.-based
Prevention/Intervention Center, "might be to have teens involved in creating a public service announcement that include positive messages about looking out for themselves and the people they care about by not texting and driving." Agatston says that it's "helpful for youth to receive consistent and repeated messages from a variety of sources, including their peers and parents or guardians."
Don't just forward this to your kids
Indeed, if you are going to show this video to your kids, I suggest you watch it with them or, better yet, assemble a group of teens to watch it together and discuss it among themselves. What their peers say will have a bigger impact than what you say. You can view the video here:
When I think about all the possible dangers associated with technology (cyberbullying, sexting, inappropriate material, online and game addiction and even the remote chance of being harmed by a predator), nothing strikes me as scarier than texting while driving.
A recently released study (PDF) by the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a "crash or near crash event" than "nondistracted driving." As per talking on a cell phone, the same study found no increased risk for truck drivers and 1.3 times the risk for car drivers. There was considerably more risk associated with dialing while driving. The institute's Richard Hanowski acknowledges that the numbers are likely to be different with car drivers. As reported by CNET's Jennifer Guevin, the study also found that "texting took a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds--enough time...to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph."
A December 2007 simulator study by Clemson University found that "text messaging and using iPods caused drivers to leave their lanes 10 percent more often."
Paul Green, research professor at University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute who has done a decade's worth of research on driver distraction, said "from the science so far, it's very clearly a problem. We don't have exact statistics yet, we have enough information to say that texting shouldn't be permitted while driving."
The New York Times has created an interactive game that measures how reaction time is affected by distractions.
Teens at biggest risk
When it comes to texting while driving, teens are a particular risk group considering that, according to Nielsen (PDF), "The average U.S. mobile teen now sends or receives an average of 2,899 text-messages per month" and apparently some of those texts are being sent and read from behind the wheel.
A 2007 study conducted by AAA and Seventeen magazine has been widely misquoted as 46 percent of teens admit to texting while driving. But what the study found is that "61 percent of teens admit to risky driving habits." Forty-six percent of that 61 percent say that they text message while driving.
This issue is in the news a bit more than usual these days because of a shocking video created by a police department in the UK. It depicts a teenage girl texting while driving followed by a terrible crash with gruesome results for her friends in her car and the family whose car she hit. Before viewing the video (scroll down) please be aware that it is graphic and very disturbing. And before forwarding it to a teenager, also be aware that many youth risk prevention specialists question the effectiveness of videos that try to use shock value to change teen behavior.
Shock videos can backfire
Russell Sabella, professor of counseling in the College of Education, Florida Gulf Coast University, says that "While there is some research that shows that some students can be sensitized to potential consequences from videos like it, there is also evidence that students get emotionally aroused in the short term but desensitize in the long term. He said "some students get reinforced by the message that this happens to others but 'it won't happen to me.'"
Professor Sabella "would rather see a video with more positive role modeling such as someone who turns off their phone before they drive or perhaps uses a "designated texter"--someone else in the car who can do the texting for you." If a shock video is going to be used, he said "is has be of a comprehensive effort which includes kids, parents, teachers, legislators, and authorities."
"A more effective approach," said Patti Agatston from the Marietta, Ga.-based
Prevention/Intervention Center, "might be to have teens involved in creating a public service announcement that include positive messages about looking out for themselves and the people they care about by not texting and driving." Agatston says that it's "helpful for youth to receive consistent and repeated messages from a variety of sources, including their peers and parents or guardians."
Don't just forward this to your kids
Indeed, if you are going to show this video to your kids, I suggest you watch it with them or, better yet, assemble a group of teens to watch it together and discuss it among themselves. What their peers say will have a bigger impact than what you say. You can view the video here:
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Software developers get into the game to stop texting while driving
From Smartbrief.com:
While federal and state regulators are stepping up efforts to address the dangers of distracted driving, software makers are rushing to create new cell phone applications to minimize the risks of texting while driving. Technology firms are developing programs that can disable the phone's keypad or intercept incoming calls and texts as well as block outgoing messages while the car is moving. Wall Street Journal, The (08/26)
While federal and state regulators are stepping up efforts to address the dangers of distracted driving, software makers are rushing to create new cell phone applications to minimize the risks of texting while driving. Technology firms are developing programs that can disable the phone's keypad or intercept incoming calls and texts as well as block outgoing messages while the car is moving. Wall Street Journal, The (08/26)
Driving under the influence of texting: Will a new PSA video change texting behavior?
From Examiner.com:
Texting while driving hits a little too close to home. My favorite cousin’s 17-year-old granddaughter died while driving and texting. Distracted, she hit a tree and was killed instantly. Her devastated family and friends miss her.
Last weekend, New York police ran a 24-hour crackdown on drivers texting or talking on the phone (which is similarly dangerous). They wrote 7,432 tickets, compared to 580 on a typical day.
Cell phones are almost a body part. Compared to 254 million registered vehicles, there are more than 270 million cell phone subscribers. Cell phone companies subtlety market hands-free cell phone use in cars. What is your incentive to text while driving?
• Running late?
• Responding to a text?
• Need GPS driving directions?
• Bored while driving somewhere?
• Tweeting to update your Facebook page?
The Gwent Police Department in Wales produced a 30-minute video entitled “COW — The Film That Will Stop You Texting and Driving,” for British high schoolers showing the consequences of texting while driving.
Too explicit to show on U.S. TV, this public service announcement has gone viral. More than 1.5 million people around the world have now viewed the film. Given the content of some reality shows, maybe this graphic, reality video needs to be aired in prime time. It’s hard hitting, but so are the real-life consequences of distracted driving. Is this PSA about texting while driving too graphic?
Are you aware of the driving-while-texting dangers? You may believe you can text responsibly while driving, but scientific evidence shows you cannot. Who should you trust? Yourself or the statistics?
18 sobering 'driven-to-distraction' statistics
1. The risk of crash or near crash event when text messaging is 23.2 times as high as non-distracted driving.
2. Texting while driving slows reaction time 35 percent - making it more dangerous than driving while high or drunk. Yet 48 percent drivers under 25 have done it.
3. Increases chances of having an accident by four times.
4. Up to a quarter of the estimated 40,000 vehicle fatalities in the U.S. annually may be traced back to distracted drivers texting.
5. An AAA reported that 95 percent of drivers polled acknowledge texting while driving is dangerous, 21 percent of them have done it recently anyway.
6. A recent study revealed texting and driving is actually more dangerous than drinking and driving since the reaction time for a texter was longer than for someone legally drunk at 0.08.
7. Despite the risks, the majority of teen drivers ignore cell phone driving restrictions.
8. In 2007, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
9. Over 60 percent of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those that admit to risky driving also admit to text messaging behind the wheel.
10. Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.
11. Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving.
12. Teens say that texting is their number one driver distraction.
13. One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States send text messages while driving.
14. A study of dangerous driver behavior released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that 19 percent of adult motorists say they text message while driving.
15. In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.
16. Eighty-four percent of cell phone users stated that they believe using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of being in an accident.
17. The majority of Americans believe that talking on the phone and texting are two of the the most dangerous behaviors that occur behind the wheel. Still, as many as 81% of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving.
18. Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
For more information:
Multitaskers bad at multitasking
Texting while driving hits a little too close to home. My favorite cousin’s 17-year-old granddaughter died while driving and texting. Distracted, she hit a tree and was killed instantly. Her devastated family and friends miss her.
Last weekend, New York police ran a 24-hour crackdown on drivers texting or talking on the phone (which is similarly dangerous). They wrote 7,432 tickets, compared to 580 on a typical day.
Cell phones are almost a body part. Compared to 254 million registered vehicles, there are more than 270 million cell phone subscribers. Cell phone companies subtlety market hands-free cell phone use in cars. What is your incentive to text while driving?
• Running late?
• Responding to a text?
• Need GPS driving directions?
• Bored while driving somewhere?
• Tweeting to update your Facebook page?
The Gwent Police Department in Wales produced a 30-minute video entitled “COW — The Film That Will Stop You Texting and Driving,” for British high schoolers showing the consequences of texting while driving.
Too explicit to show on U.S. TV, this public service announcement has gone viral. More than 1.5 million people around the world have now viewed the film. Given the content of some reality shows, maybe this graphic, reality video needs to be aired in prime time. It’s hard hitting, but so are the real-life consequences of distracted driving. Is this PSA about texting while driving too graphic?
Are you aware of the driving-while-texting dangers? You may believe you can text responsibly while driving, but scientific evidence shows you cannot. Who should you trust? Yourself or the statistics?
18 sobering 'driven-to-distraction' statistics
1. The risk of crash or near crash event when text messaging is 23.2 times as high as non-distracted driving.
2. Texting while driving slows reaction time 35 percent - making it more dangerous than driving while high or drunk. Yet 48 percent drivers under 25 have done it.
3. Increases chances of having an accident by four times.
4. Up to a quarter of the estimated 40,000 vehicle fatalities in the U.S. annually may be traced back to distracted drivers texting.
5. An AAA reported that 95 percent of drivers polled acknowledge texting while driving is dangerous, 21 percent of them have done it recently anyway.
6. A recent study revealed texting and driving is actually more dangerous than drinking and driving since the reaction time for a texter was longer than for someone legally drunk at 0.08.
7. Despite the risks, the majority of teen drivers ignore cell phone driving restrictions.
8. In 2007, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
9. Over 60 percent of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those that admit to risky driving also admit to text messaging behind the wheel.
10. Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.
11. Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving.
12. Teens say that texting is their number one driver distraction.
13. One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States send text messages while driving.
14. A study of dangerous driver behavior released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that 19 percent of adult motorists say they text message while driving.
15. In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.
16. Eighty-four percent of cell phone users stated that they believe using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of being in an accident.
17. The majority of Americans believe that talking on the phone and texting are two of the the most dangerous behaviors that occur behind the wheel. Still, as many as 81% of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving.
18. Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
For more information:
Multitaskers bad at multitasking
Monday, August 24, 2009
Drivers Talking On Cell Phones: Hang Up Or Else
From TheDay.com:
Sudden braking, swerving across lanes and unexpected turns are some of the signs police officers look for when patrolling for erratic and distracted drivers.
But those clues, which often signal an intoxicated driver, can also be signs of a distracted driver.
“Sometimes it's even worse” than driving intoxicated, said Waterford Chief Murray Pendleton. “We've spent a substantial amount of effort in teaching officers how to detect drivers under the influence, and it's amazing how many of those same symptoms are indicative of a person operating with a cell phone or attempting to text message.”
CELL PHONE CITATIONS
State police, statewide,
June 24-Aug. 18, 2009:
2,250
State police Troop E,
June 24-Aug. 18, 2009:
177
About two months ago, Gov. M. Jodi Rell launched the “Hang Up or Pay Up” campaign, which targets drivers who use cell phones while behind the wheel.
In announcing the start of the season-long campaign in June, Rell said the purpose was to reduce the number of distracted drivers, who cause “far too many crashes - crashes that are easily preventable.”
Since the start of the campaign, state police have issued 1,000 more cell phone citations than during the same time period last year.
But not all distracted driving is easy for officers to see.
”Talking is most obvious because we can see them doing it,” Stonington Police Lt. Raymond Curioso said, adding that about 90 percent of drivers who are cited tell officers they already have a hands-free device. “Texting is a little more difficult because a lot of the time they hold it closer to their lap or by the steering wheel, and we can see them looking down.”
While some police officials said that cell phone use can be a challenge to enforce during routine patrol, others said the violation is so obvious that it requires no special enforcement or checkpoint.
”It's almost kind of an easy violation to spot. You're driving down the road or in a static position and it's kind of a dead giveaway,” said Groton City Police Lt. Robert Martin. “Cell phone violations will also lead to other stuff like a suspended license or drivers that don't have a license or are not registered. It opens up other things.”
Few local police departments have dedicated patrols specifically for the campaign, citing a lack of resources or an already vigilant squad of officers who regularly look out for violators.
But supervisors said they've been reminding officers and shift commanders to continue to be vigilant for violators.
The 2005 law bans the use of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices while driving. Drivers 18 or older are permitted to use cell phones with hands-free devices. Younger drivers are not.
The law exempts drivers contacting emergency personnel or a health care provider in an emergency situation. Police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers are also exempt when performing their official duties.
If drivers are ticketed, they're likely to receive a $100 fine. For a first offense, a driver can appeal the ticket by showing proof of purchase of a hands-free device after the date of the citation.
Since late June, local police have handed out scores of the $100 citations.
As of last week, New London officers had written 70 citations since the announcement of the campaign. Over the same period, state police gave out more than 2,250. About 8 percent of those came from troopers in the Troop E area, which covers Sprague to Voluntown and East Lyme to Stonington.
Stonington is one of the few local departments that increased efforts and dedicated an officer specifically for the campaign. Curioso said over a two-day span at the start of the campaign, town officers handed out 46 cell phone citations. The effort was part of a request by the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association to report cell phone violations given out June 24 and 25 to coincide with the campaign's launch.
A state police spokesman attributed the increase in statewide citations to the campaign, although he said there were no specific patrols for cell phone violations.
”It's been our usual enforcement. Troopers every day out there are looking for those violations as well as other violations,” said state police Sgt. Chris Johnson, who then discussed the purpose of the campaign. “It's important that when we do these types of campaigns that … we get the word out. The reason behind the enforcement is so we can hopefully change people's driving habits.”
Sudden braking, swerving across lanes and unexpected turns are some of the signs police officers look for when patrolling for erratic and distracted drivers.
But those clues, which often signal an intoxicated driver, can also be signs of a distracted driver.
“Sometimes it's even worse” than driving intoxicated, said Waterford Chief Murray Pendleton. “We've spent a substantial amount of effort in teaching officers how to detect drivers under the influence, and it's amazing how many of those same symptoms are indicative of a person operating with a cell phone or attempting to text message.”
CELL PHONE CITATIONS
State police, statewide,
June 24-Aug. 18, 2009:
2,250
State police Troop E,
June 24-Aug. 18, 2009:
177
About two months ago, Gov. M. Jodi Rell launched the “Hang Up or Pay Up” campaign, which targets drivers who use cell phones while behind the wheel.
In announcing the start of the season-long campaign in June, Rell said the purpose was to reduce the number of distracted drivers, who cause “far too many crashes - crashes that are easily preventable.”
Since the start of the campaign, state police have issued 1,000 more cell phone citations than during the same time period last year.
But not all distracted driving is easy for officers to see.
”Talking is most obvious because we can see them doing it,” Stonington Police Lt. Raymond Curioso said, adding that about 90 percent of drivers who are cited tell officers they already have a hands-free device. “Texting is a little more difficult because a lot of the time they hold it closer to their lap or by the steering wheel, and we can see them looking down.”
While some police officials said that cell phone use can be a challenge to enforce during routine patrol, others said the violation is so obvious that it requires no special enforcement or checkpoint.
”It's almost kind of an easy violation to spot. You're driving down the road or in a static position and it's kind of a dead giveaway,” said Groton City Police Lt. Robert Martin. “Cell phone violations will also lead to other stuff like a suspended license or drivers that don't have a license or are not registered. It opens up other things.”
Few local police departments have dedicated patrols specifically for the campaign, citing a lack of resources or an already vigilant squad of officers who regularly look out for violators.
But supervisors said they've been reminding officers and shift commanders to continue to be vigilant for violators.
The 2005 law bans the use of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices while driving. Drivers 18 or older are permitted to use cell phones with hands-free devices. Younger drivers are not.
The law exempts drivers contacting emergency personnel or a health care provider in an emergency situation. Police officers, firefighters and ambulance drivers are also exempt when performing their official duties.
If drivers are ticketed, they're likely to receive a $100 fine. For a first offense, a driver can appeal the ticket by showing proof of purchase of a hands-free device after the date of the citation.
Since late June, local police have handed out scores of the $100 citations.
As of last week, New London officers had written 70 citations since the announcement of the campaign. Over the same period, state police gave out more than 2,250. About 8 percent of those came from troopers in the Troop E area, which covers Sprague to Voluntown and East Lyme to Stonington.
Stonington is one of the few local departments that increased efforts and dedicated an officer specifically for the campaign. Curioso said over a two-day span at the start of the campaign, town officers handed out 46 cell phone citations. The effort was part of a request by the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association to report cell phone violations given out June 24 and 25 to coincide with the campaign's launch.
A state police spokesman attributed the increase in statewide citations to the campaign, although he said there were no specific patrols for cell phone violations.
”It's been our usual enforcement. Troopers every day out there are looking for those violations as well as other violations,” said state police Sgt. Chris Johnson, who then discussed the purpose of the campaign. “It's important that when we do these types of campaigns that … we get the word out. The reason behind the enforcement is so we can hopefully change people's driving habits.”
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Driving home a point: Distractions continue to end in tragedies
From Pennlive.com:
Thursday August 20, 2009, 1:45 AM
When Lebanon Valley College student Nicole Gallo, 19, was hit and killed last week by a car whose driver bent down to pick up her iPod off the floor, it was just the latest distressingly sad story detailing the consequences of driving while distracted.
It also is another stark reminder that our laws, the way we teach people to drive and the emphasis on what we teach -- at home and in driver education programs -- haven't kept pace with the reality of today.
Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event, according to research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The highway administration also says the biggest source of driver inattention is the use of a wireless device.
That needs to change.
The first step is to pass a ban on sending text or e-mail messages while driving. Clearly one is not looking at the road or thinking about driving when he or she is sending a text or e-mail. Legislation pending in the General Assembly would help address this problem. That is a good first step. But what is really needed is a federal ban. Our state and our country are juggling significant issues now, but this simple step would go a long way to saving lives.
This is not just a problem related to young drivers. It is a problem related to all drivers. Truck drivers who text while driving, for example, are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near-miss than non-texting drivers, an analysis by Virginia Tech's institute showed.
A Nationwide Insurance survey aimed at studying the issue of driving while distracted revealed that more than six out of 10 drivers say they expect to be available by cell phone or other electronic device at all times, even though half of those same drivers say they have been hit or nearly hit by a driver talking on a cell phone.
We have advocated a ban on using hand-held cell phones in a car. There are enough hands-free devices available these days that there is no excuse for needing to hold a phone to your ear while driving.
But driving while distracted doesn't end with cell phones, e-mails and texting. As we all know, and the Nationwide survey showed, even people who believe they are safe drivers admit to changing clothes, shaving, reading, putting on makeup, and all sorts of crazy activities while driving. That is on top of eating, changing the radio, monitoring a GPS system, putting in a new CD, turning around to talk to someone in the backseat or picking up an iPod that fell to the floor.
All this has become acceptable behavior. In this case, the path to preventing the horrible kind of crash that ended up killing Nicole Gallo not only involves changes in the law but changes in the way we think. It needs education as well.
Deep in Pennsylvania's "Content and Performance Expectations for Driver Education" is a section on driver distractions inside and outside the vehicle. It is a small part of the curriculum. That must change. There should be much more emphasis on distractions because there are so many now adays.
Parents must insist on safe behavior when teenagers are behind the wheel, and they need to be role models themselves.
New drivers, in particular, and all drivers in general, should understand the factors associated with driving while distracted and how they play themselves out, often in tragic ways.
It was once the norm for children riding a bike not to wear a helmet. It was once typical to throw the kids in the backseat of the car and drive off without anyone wearing a seat belt. And stopping people from having one for the road was once not a national cause.
The solution to these basic safety issues has come with law changes, parental commitment and a shift in the way we think -- all accomplished through education at every level.
We need to add texting, e-mailing and other functions that get in the way of a driver's concentration to the list of things we once allowed.
It is time to get serious about stopping driver distractions. It will save lives.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Chilling Video About Texting and Driving
From RantRave.com:
Now, it is possible to be a menace to other drivers and to be stone cold sober. Cell phones have become a major factor in many car crashes. Amazingly enough, people are even texting on their cell phones when operating a motor vehicle, engaging both one hand and their vision in matters other than what is on the road. People who would never think of drinking in a motor vehicle voluntarily impair themselves by focusing on a phone call or a text message.
Police in Gwent, Wales and Tredegar comprehensive, a local high school collaborated in making a harrowing film depicting an accident caused by texting and its emotional aftermath. The film, named "Cow" after its main character named Rachel Cowan was enhanced with computer technology and depicts a multiple car highway accident. The accident resulted when a young driver was distracted from the road by a texting conversation. The second by second progress of the crash is painfully vivid to anyone who has been in the middle of an accident in which you fear what the next split second will bring. The film, which is a half hour long is partially available on line. It focuses not only on the crash itself, but its emotional aftermath. The varied perspectives explored elicit vivid and visceral responses from viewers.
It is worthwhile looking at various forms of driving while impaired. Following are some notes of caution.
1)It should be obvious that driving while drunk or drugged is dangerous. Unfortunately, every year, people continue to do this. Some actually act insulted when you suggest that they shouldn't drive. They seem to resent the implication that they are mortal and vulnerable to alcoholic or chemical impairment.
2) Take a good look at your medication. Cough syrup, hay fever medication and other medications often carry a warning. These drugs can often be very powerful when used in combination, particularly with alcohol. Be aware of the dangers. Such medications may be respectable. But it does not remove the dangers.
3) Lack of sleep is as bad as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. People die every year in accidents where the driver falls asleep. If you are on a long trip, stop for rest at intervals. Schedule as much as possible of your trip by day. Use the radio and coffee as aids in staying alert.
4) When you have a passenger, have them answer your cell phone if possible. If this is not possible, pull over and return your call or answer your text.
5) If you are in a bad mood, don't take it out on the road. Bad things can happen very quickly.
6) Maintain your brakes. Accidents can be caused by brakes that fail when you need them most. The consequences can be deadly.
7) If you are a pedestrian walking at night, wear clothing or a reflective strip that can be seen at night. Someone in dark clothing who is jaywalking can look like a shadow. Be aware of how you appear to drivers. Pedestrians who are careless can endanger themselves and drivers.
Reflexes are critical. Any kind of substance abuse lengthens the amount of time a driver is likely to take in responding to a situation on the road. A fraction of a second can mean the difference between life and death.
Both substance abuse and phone use lessen awareness and perception of the road. Even a handless cell phone can distract from awareness of what is on the road.Channel surfing on the radio can be a dangerous distraction.
No one wants the blood of innocent human beings on his or her hands. No one wants to be thought of as the person who tore a loved one away from their family. But a motor vehicle brings such terrifying possibilities well within the reach of decent people. There are very few people who are depraved drunken maniacs recklessly operating automobiles. But there are impairments and distractions that tempt almost anyone. It is wise to be aware of the many things that can turn a ride in a car into a nightmare.
So at the end of your long and tiring day, kick back and make a phone call. Have a drink. But make sure that the car is parked for the night. You're a good person. And you don't want the most memorable thing about your life to be that you took someone elses'.
In the good old days, a telephone was in your home, not in your car. drinking and driving was almost the only way a driver could be "impaired", aside from possibly a heart attack at the wheel. Later on, drugged drivers also became a real concern.
Now, it is possible to be a menace to other drivers and to be stone cold sober. Cell phones have become a major factor in many car crashes. Amazingly enough, people are even texting on their cell phones when operating a motor vehicle, engaging both one hand and their vision in matters other than what is on the road. People who would never think of drinking in a motor vehicle voluntarily impair themselves by focusing on a phone call or a text message.
Police in Gwent, Wales and Tredegar comprehensive, a local high school collaborated in making a harrowing film depicting an accident caused by texting and its emotional aftermath. The film, named "Cow" after its main character named Rachel Cowan was enhanced with computer technology and depicts a multiple car highway accident. The accident resulted when a young driver was distracted from the road by a texting conversation. The second by second progress of the crash is painfully vivid to anyone who has been in the middle of an accident in which you fear what the next split second will bring. The film, which is a half hour long is partially available on line. It focuses not only on the crash itself, but its emotional aftermath. The varied perspectives explored elicit vivid and visceral responses from viewers.
It is worthwhile looking at various forms of driving while impaired. Following are some notes of caution.
1)It should be obvious that driving while drunk or drugged is dangerous. Unfortunately, every year, people continue to do this. Some actually act insulted when you suggest that they shouldn't drive. They seem to resent the implication that they are mortal and vulnerable to alcoholic or chemical impairment.
2) Take a good look at your medication. Cough syrup, hay fever medication and other medications often carry a warning. These drugs can often be very powerful when used in combination, particularly with alcohol. Be aware of the dangers. Such medications may be respectable. But it does not remove the dangers.
3) Lack of sleep is as bad as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. People die every year in accidents where the driver falls asleep. If you are on a long trip, stop for rest at intervals. Schedule as much as possible of your trip by day. Use the radio and coffee as aids in staying alert.
4) When you have a passenger, have them answer your cell phone if possible. If this is not possible, pull over and return your call or answer your text.
5) If you are in a bad mood, don't take it out on the road. Bad things can happen very quickly.
6) Maintain your brakes. Accidents can be caused by brakes that fail when you need them most. The consequences can be deadly.
7) If you are a pedestrian walking at night, wear clothing or a reflective strip that can be seen at night. Someone in dark clothing who is jaywalking can look like a shadow. Be aware of how you appear to drivers. Pedestrians who are careless can endanger themselves and drivers.
Reflexes are critical. Any kind of substance abuse lengthens the amount of time a driver is likely to take in responding to a situation on the road. A fraction of a second can mean the difference between life and death.
Both substance abuse and phone use lessen awareness and perception of the road. Even a handless cell phone can distract from awareness of what is on the road.Channel surfing on the radio can be a dangerous distraction.
No one wants the blood of innocent human beings on his or her hands. No one wants to be thought of as the person who tore a loved one away from their family. But a motor vehicle brings such terrifying possibilities well within the reach of decent people. There are very few people who are depraved drunken maniacs recklessly operating automobiles. But there are impairments and distractions that tempt almost anyone. It is wise to be aware of the many things that can turn a ride in a car into a nightmare.
So at the end of your long and tiring day, kick back and make a phone call. Have a drink. But make sure that the car is parked for the night. You're a good person. And you don't want the most memorable thing about your life to be that you took someone elses'.
Woman charged in fatal crash
From The Middletown Journal:
A Maineville woman was charged Monday, Aug. 17, with vehicular manslaughter following a fatal motorcycle accident last week, according to the Lebanon Municipal Court.
Kristina Tedesco, 35, 294 Bannock Drive, Maineville, was charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree misdemeanor following an Aug. 6 accident that took the life of Bradley Bachelor, 34, of Lebanon.
According to Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Rob Waulk, Bachelor was driving a 2003 Suzuki motorcycle shortly before 10:30 a.m. south on Stubbs Mill Road in Turtlecreek Twp. when Tedesco, who was heading north on Stubbs Mill Road, attempted to turn left onto Cook Road and pulled out in front of Bachelor, causing him to collide with her 2007 Chevrolet Equinox.
Bachelor was transported by ambulance to Bethesda Arrow Springs Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Waulk said Tedesco told troopers she was talking on her cell phone with her husband when she struck Bachelor. Tedesco told police she was coming from the Clarksville area and had gotten lost due to Ohio 123 being closed east of Lebanon, Waulk said.
A bond hearing has been set for 2 p.m. today, Aug. 20 at the Lebanon Municipal Court.
Violators of cellphone law will face $200 fine
From DentonRC.com:
Texting on or dialing a cellphone in an active Denton school zone may now get you hooked up with a ticket.
A new Texas law that goes into effect Sept. 1 prohibits the use of cellphones — without a hands-free device — by the driver of a moving vehicle within an active school zone.
The city of Denton passed its own ordinance prohibiting cellphone use in active school zones in February, and that ordinance became effective Aug. 1, but Denton police Officer Ryan Grelle, a department spokesman, said a motorist will only be issued one general citation.
The penalty is the same — up to $200 — under both the new state law and the local ordinance, he said.
On Aug. 24, Denton police will start issuing warnings to motorists who use cellphones while driving through active school zones within the city limits, Grelle said.
“There will be a couple of weeks of warning before we start ticketing,” he said.
Once the department begins issuing tickets, violators could be fined up to $200 per offense, Grelle said.
Of the district’s more than 30 schools, 23 campuses lie within Denton city limits.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Study released its second annual Traffic Safety Culture Index last month with a finding that 80 percent of drivers rated distracted driving as a “very serious threat” to their safety. Yet those same drivers also admitted to the kinds of distracted driving that put themselves and others in danger, the survey found.
A 2006 study by University of Utah psychologists found that motorists talking on cellphones, whether handheld or hands-free, are as impaired as drunken drivers.
Denton Superintendent Ray Braswell said the district supports any initiative that makes the traffic pattern safer near campuses.
“We always want our motorists to be mindful of our children when approaching any of our schools,” he said.
Cellphone use in school zones has been banned in Sanger since Sept. 15, 2008.
Lake Dallas also prohibits cellphone usage in the city’s school zones.
That city’s ban went into place for the 2008-09 school year, shortly after a woman drove off a Lake Dallas road into Lewisville Lake while she was text-messaging on her cellphone. She was rescued by an off-duty firefighter who was fishing nearby.
At the time the city considered the ordinance, Police Chief Nick Ristagno said Lake Dallas officers reported that of all the tickets for speeding in school zones, nearly half went to drivers who were on the phone when they were pulled over.
The state Legislature is allowing municipalities to choose whether or not to impose the ban.
Police: Distracted Driver Hits, Kills College Student
From WGAL.com:
LEBANON, Pa. -- Lebanon Valley College is mourning the death of a student, and track and field athlete killed by what police described as a "distracted driver."Nicole Gallo, 19, was struck and killed while standing outside a suburban Philadelphia hospital on Friday.The accident happened outside the Delaware County Memorial Hospital. Police said Rachel Jenkins, 20, dropped her iPod and was picking it up when she lost control of her car, crossed two lanes of traffic and hit Gallo and Gallo's best friend.Gallo, from a Philadelphia suburb of Clifton Heights, died instantly. Her best friend is expected to survive.Police are waiting for test results to decide whether to file charges against Jenkins.Gallo would have been a sophomore at Lebanon Valley College. She ran sprints and hurdles for the school's track team. She medaled at the conference meet last season."She's one of those kids, even though this is such a tragic situation, you have to smile when you think about her. She was just so energetic, full of life, spunky, positive, hard worker," said LVC track and field coach Melissa Weidler.Weidler and the track and field team plan to honor Gallo during the season. They also want to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.
LEBANON, Pa. -- Lebanon Valley College is mourning the death of a student, and track and field athlete killed by what police described as a "distracted driver."Nicole Gallo, 19, was struck and killed while standing outside a suburban Philadelphia hospital on Friday.The accident happened outside the Delaware County Memorial Hospital. Police said Rachel Jenkins, 20, dropped her iPod and was picking it up when she lost control of her car, crossed two lanes of traffic and hit Gallo and Gallo's best friend.Gallo, from a Philadelphia suburb of Clifton Heights, died instantly. Her best friend is expected to survive.Police are waiting for test results to decide whether to file charges against Jenkins.Gallo would have been a sophomore at Lebanon Valley College. She ran sprints and hurdles for the school's track team. She medaled at the conference meet last season."She's one of those kids, even though this is such a tragic situation, you have to smile when you think about her. She was just so energetic, full of life, spunky, positive, hard worker," said LVC track and field coach Melissa Weidler.Weidler and the track and field team plan to honor Gallo during the season. They also want to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces New Details on Distracted Driving Summit
From E News Park Forest:
Washington, D.C.--(ENEWSPF)--August 18, 2009.
Washington, D.C.--(ENEWSPF)--August 18, 2009.
The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that it will hold its summit to determine the best ways to reduce the number of crashes and deaths due to distracted driving on Wednesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 1.
"Safety is our number one priority," said LaHood. "As we become a more mobile and wireless nation, we can't afford to ignore new technology's impact on roadway safety."
The distracted driving summit will bring together senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, private sector representatives and academics to address a range of issues related to reducing accidents through enforcement, public awareness and education. Authoritative speakers from around the nation will lead interactive sessions on a number of key topics including the extent and impact of distracted driving, current research, regulations and best practices.
Participants will also examine distractions caused by current and planned automotive devices, such as navigational systems. The summit’s second day will include a panel of state and local officials to discuss solutions from their perspectives.
“This summit will not only bring leaders in transportation safety together to talk about this issue,” said LaHood, “It will also give people from all over the country—and world—the opportunity to be a part of this historic dialogue.”
To accommodate the strong response, the summit will be available live by webcast and members of the public will be given the opportunity to submit questions online for each individual panel discussion. The Department has also created a website to provide information and updates on the summit at: http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/ .
Punish Cellphone Texters Like Drunken Drivers
From the Hartford Courant:
Last month, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released preliminary results of a study that proved what should be obvious: Truck drivers who were texting while driving were 23 times more likely to "experience a safety-critical event" — such as a crash — than drivers who were paying attention to the road.
The trend has been clear for some time. A New England Journal of Medicine study in 1997 found the risk of a collision was four times greater when the driver was using a cellphone. Harvard researchers estimated in 2002 that more than one in 20 traffic accidents involved a driver talking on a cellphone.
Texting increases the risk because it involves taking one's eyes off the road and hands off the wheel. It is a spectacularly stupid practice, yet appears to be on the increase. Texting has been connected to some horrific accidents this year, two of which — in California and Massachusetts — involved people who were driving trains.
Now that science has affirmed common sense, it's time to do something about it. The National Safety Council has called for a ban on using cellphones and messaging devices while driving. Connecticut is now one of only 17 states that ban texting while driving, part of a law that banned hand-held cellphones in 2005. This was wise legislation at the time. Subsequent research indicates that speaker phones are as distracting as hand-held phones. We are ready for a new look at the subject.
About 80 percent of accidents involve distracted drivers. Researchers often compare driving while phoning or texting to drunken driving, and find them comparably dangerous. Would it make sense to treat phoning or texting while driving with the same penalties reserved for drunken driving?
All the drivers we see yakking on cellphones suggest Connecticut's cellphone ban has been ineffective. The penalty, a $100 fine, is not a major deterrent. Loss of license for 90 days for a first offense might get attention.
There should also be an increase in public education campaign to make people aware of the dangers of distracted driving. This has been effective with drunk driving. If it is vitally important to be on an electrical communication device while driving, name a "designated texter."
Last month, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released preliminary results of a study that proved what should be obvious: Truck drivers who were texting while driving were 23 times more likely to "experience a safety-critical event" — such as a crash — than drivers who were paying attention to the road.
The trend has been clear for some time. A New England Journal of Medicine study in 1997 found the risk of a collision was four times greater when the driver was using a cellphone. Harvard researchers estimated in 2002 that more than one in 20 traffic accidents involved a driver talking on a cellphone.
Texting increases the risk because it involves taking one's eyes off the road and hands off the wheel. It is a spectacularly stupid practice, yet appears to be on the increase. Texting has been connected to some horrific accidents this year, two of which — in California and Massachusetts — involved people who were driving trains.
Now that science has affirmed common sense, it's time to do something about it. The National Safety Council has called for a ban on using cellphones and messaging devices while driving. Connecticut is now one of only 17 states that ban texting while driving, part of a law that banned hand-held cellphones in 2005. This was wise legislation at the time. Subsequent research indicates that speaker phones are as distracting as hand-held phones. We are ready for a new look at the subject.
About 80 percent of accidents involve distracted drivers. Researchers often compare driving while phoning or texting to drunken driving, and find them comparably dangerous. Would it make sense to treat phoning or texting while driving with the same penalties reserved for drunken driving?
All the drivers we see yakking on cellphones suggest Connecticut's cellphone ban has been ineffective. The penalty, a $100 fine, is not a major deterrent. Loss of license for 90 days for a first offense might get attention.
There should also be an increase in public education campaign to make people aware of the dangers of distracted driving. This has been effective with drunk driving. If it is vitally important to be on an electrical communication device while driving, name a "designated texter."
Friday, August 14, 2009
Phone ban 'should include hands-free'
From Stuff.Co.Nz:
The use of hands-free technology should have been included in the Government's ban on motorists using cellphones, AA Nelson district chairman Gary Stocker says.
Mr Stocker today joined police and politicians in welcoming the announcement that drivers will face an $80 fine and receive 20 demerit points the same penalty as for driving 11kmh over the speed limit for talking or texting on hand-held cellphones.
"The AA believes that's about right," Mr Stocker said.
The ban is among 23 changes to road-user rules that will come into force in November.
"It's sending a message, particularly to the young people who are the highest offenders," Mr Stocker said.
The other group of offenders were business people, many of whom used hands-free cellphone technology in vehicles, Mr Stocker said. Studies showed it was "just about as bad as hands on" because conversation distracted driving.
"It's always a balancing act. This is a good start."
Mr Stocker believes the new laws will work similarly to those that made seatbelt use compulsory. People knew talking on the cellphone and driving was wrong but until there was a law against it, they would keep doing it, he said.
Between 2003 and 2008, 25 fatal road accidents and nearly 500 crashes resulting in injury have been attributed at least in part to cellphone use.
Anne McCabe, whose teenage daughters Lucy, 18, and Isabelle Simon, 15, died two years ago when Lucy lost control of her car while answering a text near Levin, said education programmes to change attitudes were vital to the ban being a success.
"You've just got to keep banging away and hope like hell something gets through. People say you get over it you move on. No such thing. I'm living it every day and it's just a nightmare."
Nelson Bays police area commander Inspector Brian McGurk said cellphone use had contributed to some serious injury crashes in the region. "The use is becoming more prevalent, particularly with the younger, more vulnerable drivers." He didn't think there would be any great difficulty enforcing the new laws.
Nelson plumbing firm owner Tim Miller said he hated to admit the law change was a step in the right direction. He already has hands-free technology but his employees don't.
"It is a bit of a concern when you have young kids who are so good at texting. I'm kind of with it, even though it will cost me."
Police National Headquarters spokesman Grant Ogilvie said "in theory" the enforcement could extend to drivers seen breaking the cellphone rules in speed camera photos.
"It's all totally dependent on there being a clear enough picture."
Transport Minister Steven Joyce said the cellphone ban was "not a massively hard decision".
Mr Joyce, who admitted to talking on his cellphone while driving, said drivers needed a strong signal that using a hand-held cellphone was not appropriate.
"Texting and driving, in particular, is a total no-brainer. We're looking for a change in behaviour."
Green Party MP Sue Kedgley said the overdue move was good, but the fine should be higher.
Telecom spokesman Mark Watts said any cellphone use while driving was distracting.
"There's a marvellous piece of fail-safe technology to deal with this. It's called an on-off switch," he said.
Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of car magazine The Dog and Lemon Guide, said a law change on its own would not make a big difference. He said research showed young drivers tended to ignore bans and, instead of fines, police should be able to seize phones and return them by post.
Officials suggest bans won't stop at texting
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Distracted Driving Laws Lack Teeth in Some States
From DC Streetblog:
(Photo: brainlink.org)
The results were disheartening: 35 law-breakers passed by in 30 minutes. But even more dismaying, as the piece points out, is Virginia's decision to make its recent texting ban a secondary offense -- meaning that a police officer must pull over a driver for a separate infraction in order to write a ticket for texting.
For a story today on the political challenge of outlawing texting behind the wheel, the Washington Post sent its reporter to a downtown intersection to track whether drivers were obeying the city's ban on hand-held cell phones.
(Photo: brainlink.org)Four of the 18 states that prohibit drivers from texting or using a hand-held cell phone have classified their bans as secondary, limiting the scope of potential enforcement, according to a Streetsblog Capitol Hill survey of local media. New York's proposed texting law would make it the fifth.
But not every state with primary enforcement smooths the path to busting an offender. In New Hampshire, drivers can claim an exemption for dialing names into their phones, requiring police to obtain their consent for a search of cellular logs.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently announced plans for a nationwide distracted driving summit on September 30, at which the issue of primary versus secondary enforcement is likely to be hotly debated. Although congressional focus on texting by drivers has sharpened of late, with four senators proposing to yank federal road money from states that do not limit the practice, the legislation does not specify the need for primary enforcement.
A complete list of how states enforce their texting and hand-held bans is available after the jump.
Alaska: Primary offense to text
Arkansas: Primary offense to text
California: Primary offense to text or use hand-held cell phone
Colorado: Secondary offense to text
Connecticut: Primary offense to text or use hand-held cell phone
Illinois: Primary offense to text
Louisiana: Secondary offense to text
Maryland: Primary offense to text
Minnesota: Primary offense to text
New Hampshire: Primary offense to text, with exceptions
New Jersey: Primary offense to text or use hand-held cell phone
New York: Primary offense to use hand-held cell phone
North Carolina: Primary offense to text
Oregon: Primary offense to text or use hand-held cell phone
Tennessee: Primary offense to text
Utah: Primary offense to text
Virginia: Secondary offense to text
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Tighter Cellphone Laws Might Face Static
From The Washington Post:
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 13, 2009
It is probably safe to assume that the last three things Tiffany DeGroft thought of that cloudy October morning were her boyfriend, her cellphone and the picket fence that would cause her death.
The law makes texting a secondary offense, so an officer has to stop a driver for some other reason before writing a texting citation. In court, the driver can say he was dialing a phone call, which is legal, or using his phone's GPS function, which is legal. Short of getting texting records from a phone company, which isn't allowed because the crime is a misdemeanor, an officer has no way to prove a driver was texting.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 13, 2009
It is probably safe to assume that the last three things Tiffany DeGroft thought of that cloudy October morning were her boyfriend, her cellphone and the picket fence that would cause her death.
She spent the last moments of her life swapping text messages with him as she drove down Braddock Road in Centreville, police said. He was upset. He had been carded by a store clerk when he went to buy cigarettes. His last text message read: "Why the [expletive] aren't you answering me now?"
About that moment, the road curved right, and DeGroft's 2002 Jaguar went straight. The car crossed the center line and went into the oncoming lane. DeGroft apparently looked up but hit the brakes too late, plowing through trees, hitting a picket fence and smashing into a shed. Investigators said a piece of fence shattered the window and killed her.
"We found the phone on the floorboard in the open position," said James Banachoski, a Fairfax County detective who handles investigations of fatal traffic accidents. "I suspect she was actually reading the text."
"Distracted driving" is becoming a cause celebre, with more states banning texting and some legislators pondering whether to bar cellphone use by drivers outright. The District and six states require hands-free devices. Texting has been banned in the District and 17 states, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he will convene a meeting Sept. 30 to formulate "concrete steps . . . to make drivers think twice about taking their eyes off the road for any reason."
LaHood's biggest challenge will be to find a way to enforce unpopular restrictions on drivers in love with their cellphones. One survey found that eight in 10 drivers talk on their phones while behind the wheel. LaHood is counting on frightening numbers -- cellphone use is a factor in an estimated 342,000 auto accident injuries and costs $43 billion each year in property damage, lost wages, medical bills and loss of life -- to help win support.
"The public is sick and tired of people being distracted and causing accidents," he said last week.
Little more than a generation ago, cigarettes and push-button radios were just about all drivers had to tear their eyes from the road. Now cellphones, coffee cups, CDs, Global Positioning System devices and televisions compete for the attention of people behind the wheel.
Text messaging and cellphones have gotten most of the attention lately, and it might take LaHood's federal influence to wean the nation from them. Almost 90 percent of Americans own cellphones. The National Safety Council has estimated that 100 million drivers use cellphones, and another study concluded that 1 million people are chatting behind the wheel at any given moment.
Few states were willing to reduce to .08 the blood-alcohol level that defines drunken driving until their federal highway funds were threatened, and Congress might need to wield that stick again if unpopular restrictions are sought on cellphone use. New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has introduced a bill to withhold 25 percent of federal highway funds from states each year unless they ban texting.
"Studies show [texting] is far more dangerous than talking on a phone while driving or driving while drunk," Schumer said after the bill was filed. "With this new legislation, drivers will finally be held responsible for dangerous behavior that puts the public at risk."
When states take on the issue, legislators run up against lobbyists for a lucrative industry and constituents who are wedded to their phones. For an example of the resulting compromises, look to Virginia, where a law banning drivers from texting took effect July 1.
If the driver loses, the fine is $20 for the first offense.
"I don't want to say [the law is] totally useless, but it allows a lot of wiggle room," Banachoski said. "It's not much of a deterrent."
The District's ban on hand-held cellphones doesn't appear to have been much of a deterrent. Evidence that people are ignoring the requirement for hands-free equipment abounds. In 30 minutes one recent afternoon, 35 violators, or one every 51 seconds, passed through the 16th and K streets NW intersection.
Maryland will make texting behind the wheel a primary offense when a law carrying a $500 fine takes effect Oct. 1, but proposals to ban the use of hand-held phones while driving failed this year in the face of stiff opposition in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The challenge of enforcement is expected to be a central topic at LaHood's meeting next month.
"By the time police get to the scene of a crash, the evidence that cellphone use or texting was a factor almost always has disappeared," said Rae Tyson of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "People are loath to admit, 'Oh, yes, I was texting just before I plowed into the back of that car.' "
The lack of effective enforcement has made the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety agencies, reluctant to support new regulations.
"We're really where we were 20 years ago on drunk driving," association spokesman Jonathan Adkins said. "Let's develop an effective strategy for enforcement, and at that point we're likely to support a complete ban on cellphones, not just one on texting or requiring hands-free."
Scores of cellphone studies have been done. One concluded that the use of cellphones is as bad as driving drunk, and another said that using a hands-free device is as distracting as eating a cheeseburger. There is general agreement that tunnel vision occurs while driving on a phone, and the more complex the conversation, the less attention is paid to the road. Using hands-free phones doesn't seem to help much.
Cellphone users are up to four times more likely to be in a traffic accident, and the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis estimated in 2003 that their use was a factor in 6 percent of accidents. That translated to 636,000 crashes resulting in 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths.
Truck drivers are at far greater risk when they reach for their phones, according to a recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. They are at almost six times greater risk when dialing and 23 times greater when texting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took the Harvard Center assessment and other research into account in 2003, concluding that cellphones were to blame for 240,000 accidents and 955 deaths.
Early one afternoon in June, a 17-year-old high school girl was driving down a county road near Eureka, Ill. As her sport-utility vehicle crested a hill, it drifted across the center line, swerved to avoid an oncoming car and rolled several times.
Police determined that Alyssa Burns had received a text message just as she lost control of the SUV. Her death caught the attention of LaHood, a former Illinois congressman who had gone home from Washington for a visit. The transportation secretary invoked her name when he announced plans for next month's meetings.
"We all know texting while driving is dangerous -- and I promise you we're going to do something about it," he said.
Video games teaching kids not to text while driving
From The Examiner:
Twenty schools in Eagle County are participating in a program to help teach kids the dangers of distracted driving (like texting while driving). One of the simulations is to have the kids drive in Mario Kart for the Wii while trying to text. Did the simulation work though? One of the kids said this, "I ran into a lot of things and it was very stressful" - "I don't think I will text."
Ah, another life saved. Hopefully the kids will remember simulations like this one forever, since it involves things (such as games like Mario Kart & the Wii) that are more relevant to their generation, instead of just the old textbook style learning.
Check out the full story here.
Ended Up in the Swimming Pool
From Syracuse.com:
THE DRIVER of this flatbed tow truck was juggling two cell phones, texting on one and talking on another, when he slammed into a car and crashed into a swimming pool in Lock´port July 30, according to authorities.
THE DRIVER of this flatbed tow truck was juggling two cell phones, texting on one and talking on another, when he slammed into a car and crashed into a swimming pool in Lock´port July 30, according to authorities.
Summit or No, I’m Done Texting While Driving: Margaret Carlson
From Bloomberg.com:
Aug. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Oops. Darn it. That light turned red awfully fast. I really should stop writing my column while driving.
I exaggerate, slightly. I have a rusting yellow scar the width of the door on the driver’s side of my Honda from one instance of pecking on my Blackberry. Had the object I encountered been moving rather than stationary, the entire driver’s side -- and perhaps the driver -- would be gone.
There oughta be a law, and there is -- or are -- a welter of varying rules from state to state. Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 17 states and the District of Columbia. Bans on driving while talking on a hand-held cellular phone are in place in seven states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and D.C.
It’s almost a bandwagon, so the White House is jumping on with a “Distracted Driving Summit,” which, due to popular demand, was expanded on Monday from one day to two -- Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. (As for the government’s suggestion that you “Get updates on the Distracted Driving Summit on Twitter at http://twitter.com/distractdriving” -- well, let’s just say it would be ironic if you had an accident while doing so.)
Why not? It’s timely, as the use of electronic devices has grown faster than hybrids. Like Bill Clinton’s support for midnight basketball programs and school uniforms, this costs little, is socially useful and is so doable we hardly need a White House conference.
Ayes Have It
All in favor of a ban on talking while hurtling down the road in a ton of steel even at 25 miles per hour, say aye. The ayes have it. Now let’s work on penalties. The $100 ticket I got in Washington for failure to use an earpiece got my attention. I now have an earpiece permanently in place in much the way my mother attached mittens to my coat when I went off to kindergarten.
There’s no vocal lobby in favor of distracted driving. Have all the summits and town halls you want. I’ll bet you an electric car that there won’t be any goons carrying swastikas or attendees hanging members of Congress in effigy before shutting down the meeting. Those conservatives who made a laughingstock out of the government on our backs about seatbelts, smoking and health-care reform are largely silent on this.
The research is sobering. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration -- which suppressed studies until last month, when advocacy groups forced it to go public -- learned in one report that “drivers found it easier to drive drunk than to drive while using a phone, even when it was hands-free.” Also, those chatting drivers are four times more likely to be in a crash as people with blood-alcohol levels of 0.08 percent -- legally drunk, in other words.
Ears Too
Those who think an earpiece solves the problem, listen up (while keeping your eyes on the road): holding the phone isn’t the issue. Using it is. There are negligible differences in accident risk between the two.
In July, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released a study that found when drivers of heavy trucks texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater.
Before the White House got into the issue, Senator Charles Schumer of New York and others introduced legislation to bring consistency to state laws by banning all texting or e-mailing while operating a moving vehicle. Enforcement would be akin to that used to get states to raise the minimum drinking age to 21: a portion of annual federal highway funding would be withheld from states that refuse.
Even the industry is cooperating, perhaps fearing there will be no need for a friends-and-family plan if Americans, banned from use of cells while driving, chat entirely on rollover minutes.
Close Calls
Did I learn my lesson? Yes and no. Everyone I know will admit to a close call, veering back onto the road just before careening into a ditch while dialing or texting or just talking.
But the desire to be in touch constantly -- the desire that compels people sitting at dinner to look down at whatever concealed devices they are carrying in hopes, perhaps, of that one message that matters -- is powerful. And near misses have the opposite effect of deterrence. (I made it that time, I’ll make it again.)
Cheers to the White House and Senate for pushing new laws. Stiff penalties will help, even if enforcement is spotty.
What will ultimately make us safe is social pressure, the sense that it is wrong to put others, if not yourself, at risk for something as unnecessary as checking e-mail in the car.
Sensible laws need little enforcement. Seatbelt laws? It’s second nature to hook up now. Looks of disgust make smoking police unnecessary. Before long, it will be as unacceptable to talk while driving as it would be to light up on an airplane or have children unrestrained in the back seat.
After reading all the research for this column, I’m going cold turkey. Don’t try to reach me while driving. I’m shut down.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Near miss: Cell phones, texting and driving
From Syracuse.com:
One of my kids was in New York City the other day. He was crossing the street, at a crosswalk, when a guy in a white car - a guy talking on a cell phone - stopped and unexpectedly threw the car into reverse. The guy suddenly braked, but not before the car hit my kid - hard enough to cause pain, but not hard enough to seriously hurt him. Then the guy took off.
My son came home shaking his head. If he had been standing a few feet away, in the wrong direction, the car would have hit him hard enough to slam him to the pavement.
I was reminded of that story a few days later, when I was driving along North Salina Street and a woman dropped from 30 to a dead stop, in the middle of traffic. I was far enough behind her to brake, and then to pull out and go around, but yes ... she was lost in an animated cell phone conversation. I saw that, and I thought of my kid, and I thought of the whole wave of traffic carnage we've had in the last few months, and I wondered how many times a cell phone was involved ...
And it just seems as if things have gotten utterly insane. There is no amendment to the Bill of Rights that guarantees a right to drive. It is a privilege, a wonderfully convenient yet highly dangerous privilege, that involves inherent safeguards and restrictions. Any logical person would say that punching buttons on a cell phone - whether dialing a number or sending a message to a friend - defies all common sense and puts others at risk.
But people do it, all the time.
The results will be increasingly predictable.
Texting driver takes plea deal in double-fatal crash
From KSL:
By Marc Giauque
A Logan man will be sentenced next month after pleading guilty to accusations he caused a deadly crash because he was sending text messages.
It happened about two years ago when Reggie Shaw's car drifted into the path of another west of Logan. That forced the car into a spin before it was struck by a truck.
Keith O'Dell, 50, and James Furfaro, 38, were killed. O'Dell's widow, Leila, was at the court hearing Monday.
"Well, I'm glad we're this far. But until the sentencing is done and he's really fulfilled his obligations, I don't think it'll be over," she said.
Those terms include a plea in abeyance. Charges will eventually be dropped if the 22-year-old Shaw stays out of trouble and agrees to community service that will include talking with people about the dangers of texting and driving.
When he's sentenced next month, Shaw also is expected to be given some jail time. Under the agreement, that could be anywhere from 15 to 90 days.
New DVD shows dangers of texting and driving
From KSL:
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The dangers of texting while driving might seem obvious, but for anyone who doesn't get it, state officials are releasing a 15 minute public service DVD.
The Utah Department of Transportation will hold a news conference Wednesday to promote the video documentary on an accident that killed two people when a driver who was texting collided with another vehicle.
For Utah drivers, texting or sending e-mails from a cell phone became a misdemeanor in May.
The documentary was part of a sentencing agreement with the 22-year-old man, who pleaded guilty in January to two counts of negligent homicide.
Prosecutors say the driver was thumbing out a text message when his SUV clipped the bumper of a car, which went out of control and was broadsided by a pickup in SeptemberNumber of cell phonedriving accidents jumps
From KXMC:
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Figures show the number of South Dakota accidents that authorities blame on drivers distracted by cell phone use has jumped 60 percent in the four years since the state Office of Highway Safety began collecting such information.
The number in 2004 was 82. Last year, it was 138.
The numbers are in line with the accidents and fatalities nationwide that are linked to distracted driving. Some studies show drivers sending text messages can be as dangerous as drunken drivers.
Attempts to limit drivers' cell phone use have failed in recent sessions of the Legislature.
State Rep. Shantel Krebs, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, says any new ban attempt probably would come from a lobbying group.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Figures show the number of South Dakota accidents that authorities blame on drivers distracted by cell phone use has jumped 60 percent in the four years since the state Office of Highway Safety began collecting such information.
The number in 2004 was 82. Last year, it was 138.
The numbers are in line with the accidents and fatalities nationwide that are linked to distracted driving. Some studies show drivers sending text messages can be as dangerous as drunken drivers.
Attempts to limit drivers' cell phone use have failed in recent sessions of the Legislature.
State Rep. Shantel Krebs, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, says any new ban attempt probably would come from a lobbying group.
Alberta to introduce distracted driving law this fall
From The Canadian Press:
Drivers in Alberta may soon have to hang up their phones and stop doing other activities they shouldn't be doing while behind the wheel.
The provincial government plans to address the problem of distracted drivers this fall.
Transportation Department spokeswoman Tammy Forbes says the government is developing legislation that focuses on all types of driving distractions and behaviours.
Forbes says the legislation will go beyond cellphone use and texting and include all types of electronic devices and other behaviours that distract drivers from keeping their eyes on the road.
The legislation will be tabled about the end of October.
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Texting ban, but what about the rest?
From The News & Observer:
This year the General Assembly outlawed a few of the dumb, distracting things drivers do when they really should keep two thumbs on the wheel and two eyes on the road.
One law that takes effect Dec. 1 will forbid motorists from using mobile phones for text messages and e-mail behind the wheel.
North Carolina already had a quaint law against watching a TV broadcast while motoring. But how would we even do that? With a rabbit-ears antenna mounted on the hood?
The legislature modernized this sensible ban. Effective Oct.1, the new law prohibits driving "while viewing any television, computer or video player" that is located in the front seat and visible to the driver.
Texting is an up-and-coming trend, especially for younger folks. Behind the wheel, it's really dangerous. New studies show that when a driver is texting, the risk of an accident increases between eight and 23 times.
As one of only 15 states that have outlawed texting while driving, North Carolina is a little ahead of the curve here. There's a push in Congress for a national ban.
But we're playing catch-up at curbing other technology use that puts everybody on the road in danger.
Using a cell phone behind the wheel is legal in North Carolina except for drivers under 18 and school bus drivers of any age.
"People know full well that you shouldn't be talking on the phone while you drive, but they do it anyway," said Robert D. Foss, a senior research scientist at the UNC Highway Safety Research Center in Chapel Hill.
"They try to avoid it," Foss said, "but it's as if that thing reaches out and grabs them. Somebody on the other end of my phone wants to talk to me, so I'll just grab it."
Drivers' attention divided
Foss is an authority on driver distractions. He has videos of crashes that occurred as drivers struggled to divide their attention between their phones and the traffic around them.
"Anything that takes your eyes off the road for more than a split second is highly dangerous," Foss said. "The longer or more frequently it takes your eyes off the road, the more dangerous."
Safety experts, legislators and police agree that North Carolina's newest safety laws will be hard to enforce. A trooper often won't know whether the law is being broken when a driver glances toward her lap or punches buttons on his phone.
But Foss says the texting ban still can save lives.
"If they know it's the law, a lot of people will comply," he said. "But it's going to make no difference whatsoever if it's not widely publicized."
$100 fine for texting
Violation of the texting ban is a $100 infraction, but with no insurance points and nothing on your driving record. The new laws include exceptions and make clear that it is still legal for drivers to engage in plenty of dangerous, distracting practices.
Drivers are explicitly allowed to check numbers and Caller ID names on cell phones. It's legal to play with GPS navigation gizmos, consult traffic and weather update gadgets, check audio-system displays and gaze at video screens "that enhance the driver's view in any direction, inside or outside of the vehicle."
What else can we drivers get away with, besides yakking on the phone?
There's nothing in the law that says we can't read a magazine or stir our coffee. If we feel like it, we're free to make a shopping list, tie our shoes and adjust our makeup as we career down the highway.
Silicon Valley Crackdown on Distracted Drivers
From TreCentral.com:
"There are so many motorists in California who would never consider drinking and driving, yet somehow they make the decision to text or e-mail while driving," said Jenny Mack, a AAA representative.
Back in July, we talked about a story that ran in The New York Times about the dangers of driving distracted.
You'll recall it started off with this sentence: "You can't legislate against stupidity."
While that may be true, what you can do is make stupidity be expensive and a waste of time. At least, that seems to be the game plan in Silicon Valley (California) on Tuesday. Similar to those sobriety checkpoint initiatives that happen around the holidays, this time the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and local authorities will be aggressively cracking down on "drivers using hand-held cell phones or — even worse — texting while motoring down the road." Per a Mercury News story by Gary Richards, the crackdown will be focused in Santa Clara County, with the CHP, sheriff deputies and police from San Jose, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Santa Clara and Campbell taking part in the effort.
California prohibits drivers from using a hand-held phone or texting. The law doesn't cure the problem of drivers being terribly distracted when talking with hands-free devices. And numerous studies say the chief distraction comes not from having two hands on the wheel but having one's mind focused on a phone conversation and not the road ahead. The concentration on the phone call is so great that some experts say it's almost like driving drunk.
If you haven't done it yet, check out the driving simulator that accompanied the NY Times article.
The rule in our household is "drive first." Let this shot across the bow be a (another)warning to all of us.
| Mon Aug 10, 2009 - 4:16 PM EDT - By Annie Latham | |
| | |
Back in July, we talked about a story that ran in The New York Times about the dangers of driving distracted.
You'll recall it started off with this sentence: "You can't legislate against stupidity."
While that may be true, what you can do is make stupidity be expensive and a waste of time. At least, that seems to be the game plan in Silicon Valley (California) on Tuesday. Similar to those sobriety checkpoint initiatives that happen around the holidays, this time the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and local authorities will be aggressively cracking down on "drivers using hand-held cell phones or — even worse — texting while motoring down the road." Per a Mercury News story by Gary Richards, the crackdown will be focused in Santa Clara County, with the CHP, sheriff deputies and police from San Jose, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Santa Clara and Campbell taking part in the effort.
California prohibits drivers from using a hand-held phone or texting. The law doesn't cure the problem of drivers being terribly distracted when talking with hands-free devices. And numerous studies say the chief distraction comes not from having two hands on the wheel but having one's mind focused on a phone conversation and not the road ahead. The concentration on the phone call is so great that some experts say it's almost like driving drunk.
If you haven't done it yet, check out the driving simulator that accompanied the NY Times article.
The rule in our household is "drive first." Let this shot across the bow be a (another)warning to all of us.
Distracted drivers' days are numbered
From The Edmonton Sun:
By MICHAEL PLATT
By MICHAEL PLATT
Some will curse about loss of liberty behind the wheel.
Others, more sensible and with a keen instinct for self-preservation, will give thanks for streets finally free of fools absorbed in phone calls and text messages.
Alberta is only weeks away from pushing through legislation which will likely ban the use of cellular phones and other electronic devices while driving. Likely, because the new rules are still under wraps and no one is saying "ban" just yet.
But the wait is nearly over, after more than a decade of debate. By fall, the new law will be on the table.
PREMIER'S PRIORITY
"The premier has indicated this a priority for him, and it's our intention to bring it forward in the fall," said Tammy Forbes, spokesman for Alberta's Ministry of Transportation.
"This legislation is going beyond cellphone use, and looking at the broader issue of distracted driving -- it's going to include cellphones, and we've looked at all entertainment devices, like reading and texting."
Though the final legislation is still being tweaked, Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette told Sun Media that the law will ban distracting activities while driving.
"That would include pets on your lap, putting on makeup, shaving, using a cellphone -- all kinds of distractions," Ouellette said, two weeks ago.
He was reacting to statistics showing driver error was a factor in 90% of 158,055 Alberta crashes last year.
Alberta, in the past, has left drivers to their own devices, relying on existing careless driving laws to nab motorists.
It's certainly a case of a few jerks ruining it for the rest, but it's nothing to see a phone-fixated motorist weaving from lane-to-lane, at speeds at odds with the traffic flow.
A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed people who text and drive are at 23.2 times more likely to crash.
Those who text take their eyes off the road for up to six seconds at a time -- long enough to travel the length of a football field.
If taking on a cellphone was bad, texting behind the wheel is crazy -- but Alberta drivers do it all the time.
The Alberta Motor Association's Don Szarko speaks for one of the key groups consulted by the province as it drafted the new legislation.
While he hasn't seen the final law, Szarko said he expects the changes will be cut and dry. That means a total ban on cellphones, on texting, and on anything else deemed a dangerous distraction.
"It would have to be, because the minute you start splitting hairs, where you're saying it's OK here but not here, then you leave gaps in the law, and you confuse the public," said Szarko.
'ALBERTA MAY GET IT RIGHT'
Szarko said Alberta's 11-year delay in passing a law like those in Newfoundland, Quebec may be an advantage.
"After 11 years of watching how other jurisdictions handled this, Alberta may finally get it right," said Szarko.
Alberta isn't the only province currently dealing with the issue of drivers focusing on electronics. Ontario passed its own distracted driving law in April, making it illegal to use hand-held cellphones and other electronic devices like BlackBerrys, with fines of up to $500.
Forbes, speaking for the Transportation Ministry, says Alberta's legislation will provide a concise answer.
"It will be comprehensive, enforceable and effective," she said.
MICHAEL.PLATT@SUNMEDIA.CA
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