Across America, the momentum against distracted driving grows

Since DOT's Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C. last fall, I've been on a rampage against texting while driving.  Too many people still mistakenly believe that they can drive and talk or text at the same time.  

On Tuesday, FocusDriven's Jennifer Smith and I spoke with CNN about the dangers of distracted driving and the importance of enforcement for the texting bans that are already on the books.

But, we're not the only ones speaking out.  Our sense of urgency is spreading, and the momentum against distracted driving is building across America.

Police began a week-long "Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other" campaign in Syracuse, NY on Thursday, and one will kick off in Hartford, CT on Saturday.  These enforcement waves will crack down on drivers who are talking and texting on their cell phones.  When we launched these twin pilot programs back in April, police ticketed nearly4,000 people over the course of just one week.

States are taking action, too.  On July 1st, Iowa's texting while driving ban took effect.  Similar laws in Nebraska and Kentucky went into effect last Thursday.  In South Dakota, the Yankton Press & Dakotan called on the state legislature to follow the example of their neighboring states by passing a texting ban.  In Tuesday's editorial, they said: "Sending text messages while driving creates unacceptable risks."

And at DOT, we're continuing to get the word out.  On Tuesday, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland spoke about distracted driving at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority conference in Palm Springs, CA.  Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically black international sorority, worked with DOT back in 2003 to promote the "Buckle Up America" campaign among its network of more than 500 chapters.  They've pledged to work with us again to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving.

The way I see it, the stakes couldn't be higher.  In 2008 alone, nearly 6,000 people were killed and more than a half million more were injured in crashes involving distracted driving. 

These numbers aren't surprising.  Drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds.  At 55 miles per hour, this means that they're traveling the length of an entire football field without looking at the road!  It's no wonder that people who text are 20 times more likely to crash than non-distracted drivers. 

Now, we've had a lot of success in raising awareness about this dangerous epidemic over the last year.  Delaware recently became the 30th state to ban texting while driving.  President Obama issued an Executive Order that prohibits texting behind the wheel for all federal employees, and DOT followed it up with a texting ban for commercial truck and bus operators.  And we've even got Oprah on our side!

But, there's still work to be done.  And as all of these efforts to combat distracted driving around the country develop, I'm touched by how many people have taken up this fight as their own.  Lives are being saved every day, and more and more people are choosing to keep their eyes on the road - and off their phones.  Our fight isn't close to finished, but I know we've got the momentum on our side.

Comments

[Maggie Underwood]

I am thankful people are starting to realize people can not pay attention to their driving and use a telephone at the same time if the phone is in their hand. If I was in charge using a phone held in their hand while driving would get the same punishment as DUI. Driving while texting or talking when phone is handheld is as big an impairment as alcohol.

[Electra Glide In Blue]

I agree with Maggie,
You see this every day, the driver in front of you goes erratic all of a sudden and you're thinking this guy is drunk! Then you see it's not a beer can, it's a cell phone in his hand. I've been ran off the road several times on my motorcycle by these distracted drivers.

[bestslclawyer]

The easiest answer to this problem would be to install a device in every new car that disrupts the use of the cell phone when the car is in motion.

[Mike The Windshield Wonder Guy]

I thought it was perhaps the best thing our city ever did was to make a law against being on a cell phone in school zones. I do believe that the next step need to be texting because it is more distracting than having a phone to your ear. This was a great article because I wasn't aware that the wave to prevent accidents via mobile phones was growing so quickly.

[M.O.B.S.]

It is absolutely ludicrous that anyone could think that they are a safe driver when they are texting or talking on a cell phone. You put other people lives in danger, what gives you the right to do that? A law should be passed that makes it illegal to do, and the penalty should be stiff enough to deter anyone from doing it. Jail time for anyone that takes a life while talking or texting should be mandatory, anyone causing an accident should lose their licence for at least 1 year, and fines should be in the 2 to 3 thousand dollar range. That should make people think twice before texting or talking on cell phones while driving. My 2 cents.

[Michael E. Bailey]

People are realizing it just is not safe to talk on the pphone or text while trying to drive. We need a national campaign for phone in one hand ticket in the other just like we have click it or ticket for safety belts. A coordinated effort across the country would really get attention. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Gary]

LaHood, your efforts are overreaching and an unwelcome infringement of states' authority to regulate traffic in each state. The Federal government has no business influencing state law, but it can suggest. The state of Massachusetts just recently considered legislation to ban texting while driving, but it rejected banning talking on the phone while driving. But in one sentence of your post, you lump the two together as the same thing. I do sometimes talk on the phone wile driving, and I can do it without being distracted - believe it or not. I know some people can't, but that does not mean all cell phone use should be banned for all drivers everywhere. This kind of thinking would lead to banning driving if you didn't get enough sleep, or having to pass an IQ test to renew your license. I frankly think we have more problems from stupid drivers than from distracted drivers.

An editorial in a newspaper (especially one I've never heard of) is not considered expert testimony on "sending text message while driving causes unacceptable risks." There are risks in life and we should be relatively free to decide which ones we are willing to accept. If we injure someone else there are legal remedies for that. You can't ban everything that has some risk.

You also attempted to mislead us by stating that 6000 were killed and 500,000 injured by distracted drivers in 2008. Distracted driving and texting while driving are not the same thing. I don't even remember if my phone supported texting in 2008. Other examples of distractions are conversations with passengers, listening to or adjusting the radio/stereo, disciplining children, eating, drinking, daydreaming, etc. You cannot legislate these things away.

And I don't really care what Oprah's opinion is. In fact, if she's for something, I'm probably against it.

(I do not respond to trolls, and I probably won't even read those posts)

[Lisa Sherer]

I am a truck insurance broker and we have seen more and more accidents related to "distracted drivers". Many accidents involving trucks are erroneously blamed on the trucker. By far, most injury accidents can be traced back to the other driver either making an unsafe move in front of a trucker or simply not understanding how much harder it is to stop or steer a truck away from another vehicle. There are more regulations with which the truckers must comply to keep the roads safe. However, with distracted and simply careless drivers of cars on the roads, the safety statistics will likely not improve unless people change their driving habits.
Lisa Sherer, Berrier Insurance http://www.berrierinsurance.com

[articles writing service]

You know if someone pulls out a gun a shoots someone then they are a criminal conducting in criminal behavior. But society considers talking and texting on a cell phone not a crime. I think they need to drill the message into people's minds that this is a horrible crime that can kill people just as easily as gun if misused.

[Lemore]

I am also an insurance broker and my agency specializes in truckers. I have to agree with the comment from Gary, I also see a lot of claims that are due to the negligence of private passenger vehicle operators. I think drivers need to be more aware of the trucks they share the roads with. These large trucks are extremely heavy vehicles that have their limitations due to their large size. It is much easier for a small car to maneuver around on the road than it is for a truck.

[Stu]

There should be no law banning texting while driving. While it may be dangerous, I have the freedom of speech and if I want to drive and talk, it is my right. Why not ban driving the speed limit in the passing lane, radios, billboards, birds, deer (all animals that cross roads), road rage, drivers over 65 years of age, and so forth.

[Susan]

I totally agree with the dangers of distracted driving. The numbers sited in the article 4.6 seconds is comparable to billboard studies, difference? Billboard lobbys, billboard litigation, I say ban them too!