Fight to end distracted driving gains grassroots momentum

Although I continue to read articles about car crashes caused by texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, I am cheered this morning by other articles that tell me the fight against distracted driving has become a grassroots movement around the country.

Earlier this week, for example, the town of Daphne, Alabama, banned texting behind the wheel. That ban was set in motion by a local man who started a foundation, "Alive at 25," after the death of a Daphne teen at the hands of a distracted driver.

But, the groundswell in Daphne did not end there. The final push to pass the ordinance came from Jasmine Lee, Alabama's "Junior Teen Queen," who testified before the City Council in August, asking that Daphne ban texting.

Said Lee:

"There have been deaths in Daphne and other towns nearby from texting behind the wheel. I know some of my friends text and drive, and I’ve even been in the car while this was happening. I ask them to please stop. I wanted to protect teens and adults. It’s just as dangerous as driving drunk, and that’s a very scary thought. So I went to the City Council."

Did I mention that Jasmine is only 15 years old, not even old enough to drive? What a terrific example of safety and civic leadership she is setting for her peers.

And, across the country in Arizona, teens will gather next week for a Youth Distracted Driving Summit. There, they will get the tools and knowledge they need to return to their communities and educate their peers about this deadly epidemic.

It's not just teens either. In Bethel, Maine, local ambulance drivers and other emergency responders are organizing a workshop to help high school students understand the dangers of distraction. That session will feature survivors of car crashes talking to students about the lasting effects of 100 percent preventable crashes.

And at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School last week, peer counselors performed skits and local crash survivors testified about their experiences.

``Life is hard now,'' said Alex Lutin, who was hit by another vehicle while riding his motorcycle, and was run over by three other automobiles. The accident left him confined to a wheelchair. ``Take a second and think about what could happen before you do things,'' Lutin said.

The outcome? Hundreds of students signed pledges not to drive while distracted.

That is good news.

Comments

[Lyndon Pousson Sr.]

With all due respect, I would like to have someone answer the question below. I have asked everybody in DOT and have not received a response.
"If you are serious about distracted driving, why don't you require vehicle manufacturers to install cell phone jammers in all vehicles that activate as soon as the vehicle reaches 10 MPH?" Existing vehicles would have one year to have them installed.

Please help me out on this. Don't waste time with arguments about emergencies. In an emergency, you have to stop your vehicle anyway. And the annual vehicle inspection would be required to test it. They are required to drive the vehicle anyway.

[Ken O]

@Lyndon: Ask the cellphone companies Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile if they would support this.

The answer is, you guessed it, NO.

These are corporations, and as you know all corporations are merely piles of money without a soul or morals.

The way to implement this is to go after the "brand" of both auto and telco companies. Hit em where it hurts.

[Sally Flocks]

Can't we at least ban hand-held cell phones while driving? Georgia passed a law this year prohibiting texting while driving. Yet folks are still reading e-mail while driving, especially while waiting for signals to change. Without a ban on hand-held devices, it's too easy for people to claim they were using the device to initiate a phone call.

[Erik Wood]

Real change on this issue is going to come from the end user - the delivery man, the car pooling mom, or the teen driver deciding to change their habits. From truckers to moms to teens that I spoke with on the issue of text and drive - there was one common thread. If presented with a Big Brother type lock down alternative, they will immediately seek "to get around it". This does not constitute change on our highways. Selling software that is supposed to lock down the activity forgets that it is the end user (the driver) who will ultimately decide. Let's change behavior and we will see those violent crash rates plummet...now.

I decided to do something about it after my three year old daughter was nearly run down right in front of me by a texting driver. Instead of a shackle that locks down phones and alienates the user (especially teens) I built a tool called OTTER that is a simple, affordable app for smartphones. I think if we can empower the individual then change will come to our highways now and not just our laws.

Erik Wood, owner
OTTER LLC
http://www.OTTERapp.com

[Joe]

The problem isn't the telco companies... the problem really lies with the owners of the phones... Rather than a jammer, how about making hands-free devices mandatory if you own a cell phone and use the phone's built in GPS disable the phone's built-in data plans if the phone is connected to a hands-free device. Drivers who fail to install such systems would face increased car insurance premiums and even denial of coverage unless proof of an installed system is provided. Additionally texting while driving should mean a mandatory loss of license of no less than 6 months first offense and a surcharge just like a DUI. I've been nearly killed on the NJ parkway when a girl I know no less swerved into my lane (the right lane) and pushed me off into the shoulder. If I had not been as cautious of a driver and pulled over as soon as I saw her swerve there is a high chance i would have been hit by her. When we both arrived at class (we went to the same college) I asked her what was so important that she nearly killed me and her response was "What? I'm not allowed to have a fight with my boyfriend, f*** off".

There have been other times that I have seen people texting while behind the wheel, on iphones nonetheless which requires the user to actually LOOK at the screen to see what they are typing.

Again, if this is to be addressed, there needs to be MUCH harsher punishments to those who text while driving. The problem is, most people who have cell phones like the IPhone, have money... they are the same people who will illegally park their car knowing they will get a ticket because they can AFFORD the ticket... to them, it's just another dollar or two... paying a $150 fine here in NJ for getting caught on your cell phone is a slap on the wrist... If change is to be made, Mandatory loss of license, and even possibly being dropped from your phone provider for a whole year could be better fit punishments. How will a person be distracted by their phone if they don't have one for a year?... Second offense? Mandatory 30 days in Jail, loss of license for a year, and blacklisting from all cell providers for no less than 5 years... and safety concerns? emergencies? Oh My God, what did we do BEFORE WE HAD CELL PHONES? that's right, we did just fine, otherwise we wouldn't be here today... Our grandparents didn't have cell phones, and they were able to survive, why can't we?

[gaia gold]

"If you are serious about distracted driving, why don't you require vehicle manufacturers to install cell phone jammers in all vehicles that activate as soon as the vehicle reaches 10 MPH?" Existing vehicles would have one year to have them installed.

[Michael E. Bailey]

Its great to see that teens and adults both are starting to take distracted driving as a serious issue. Its also great news that more and more people are starting to realize that talking and/or texting on the phone while driving is a very dangerous thing for the driver doing it and everyone else around them. The cure will probably require a combination of approaches that includes peer councilors and public education/outreach, better laws, new technology, and actions by car insurance companies. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.