Shut Up and Drive

Call it self-rightousness, call it the “pot calling the kettle black,” or call it indignancy. But we never seem to realize when we ourselves are committing the egregious offense of talking, texting, Blackberrying while driving. Of course, we would also deny that we were distracted in the slightest. Its always the “other guy.” Even with the advent of earpieces and fines for non-compliance distractions remain.

The New York Times reports on how drivers and legislators ignore extensive research detailing the risks and mounting death toll associated with driving distractions:

Extensive research shows the dangers of distracted driving. Studies say that drivers using phones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers, and the likelihood that they will crash is equal to that of someone with a .08 percent blood alcohol level, the point at which drivers are generally considered intoxicated. Research also shows that hands-free devices do not eliminate the risks, and may worsen them by suggesting that the behavior is safe.

A 2003 Harvard study estimated that cellphone distractions caused 2,600 traffic deaths every year, and 330,000 accidents that result in moderate or severe injuries.

Yet Americans have largely ignored that research. Instead, they increasingly use phones, navigation devices and even laptops to turn their cars into mobile offices, chat rooms and entertainment centers, making roads more dangerous.

Driving while typing on your laptop and surfing internet chat rooms? Now that’s just ridiculous.

Underscoring the “pot calling the kettle back,”  the New York Times notes the misperception of drivers on their own mulitasking abilities:

A disconnect between perception and reality worsens the problem. New studies show that drivers overestimate their own ability to safely multitask, even as they worry about the dangers of others doing it.

Not to be confused by the facts, but they bear repeating.  The New York Times notes:

• Last year, the federal agency dealing with road safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, published a study, based on researchers’ observations of drivers, suggesting that at any time during daylight hours in 2007, 11 percent — or 1.8 million drivers — were using a cellphone.
• And in a survey of 1,506 people last year by Nationwide Mutual Insurance, 81 percent of cellphone owners acknowledged that they talk on phones while driving, and 98 percent considered themselves safe drivers. But 45 percent said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver talking on a phone.
• The highway safety administration estimates that drivers using a hand-held device are at 1.3 times greater risk of a crash or near crash, and at three times the risk when dialing, compared with others who are simply driving.

The Governors Highway Safery Association has an extensive matrix of the varying state laws governing cell phone and texting use. In brief:

• Handheld Cell Phone Bans for All Drivers: 5 states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington), the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from talking on handheld cell phones while driving.
• All Cell Phone Bans: No state completely bans all types of cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for all drivers, but many prohibit cell phone use by certain segments of the population.
• Text Messaging: 14 states and the District of Columbia now ban text messaging for all drivers.

Advice: Be mindful and careful. And ask yourselves before dialing or answering, “is it really that important?” I’m sure this kid wishes he had.

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