Moving Violations: Distraction Disaster

[AF News Desk]

Moving Violations:
Distraction Disaster
In a time when there are more things than ever to distract us in our cars,
we need to try harder than ever to resist them.

Jonathan Swigart - AutomotiveForums.com
Sept. 30, 2011

When I first started driving, the only thing I had to worry about distracting me were the other cars on the road that just happened to catch my eye or maybe – on rare occasion – a phone call on my cell phone that didn't even send text messages.

Technology at the time was limited to juggling driving and changing the CD in the portable player plugged into the tape deck or putting a new one in the in-dash unit.

However, as time has progressed, so has the technology at our disposal in our cars. From GPS to iPods and smart phones to tablets, we have more to distract us from the road in front of us than ever before.

The biggest problem for drivers right now – and for the last few years – are their phones. The evolution of texting and the ease it creates in communicating – especially when it comes to younger drivers – leaves the door open for disaster while on the road.

Some states don't even allow teen drivers to use cell phones while in the car unless it is for emergency purposes. Other states, including mine, will ticket you if you are seen texting while driving and will even go so far as to subpeona your phone records if it is suspected that you were texting at the time of an accident you're involved with. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to deter very many people.

Nationally, nearly 1.3 million accidents are caused by drivers who are distracted by texting or cell phone usage, a staggering number when you consider that this accounts for nearly 23 percent of crashes in the United States based on 2011 assessment data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

What is the appropriate course of action in this instance? Even with tougher legislation against cell phone use while driving, enforcement of the laws is proving to be difficult, and therefore (at least in my own opinion), basically useless.

In order to prevent the technology we rely upon from becoming a public hazard, it may be time for law enforcement agencies to consider implementing harsher penalties for those being caught texting or using their cell phone while driving. Nothing encourages “never do that again” like a $500 ticket.

Alternatively, in cities that use traffic cameras, perhaps ticketing via mail would work. Red light cameras seem to work pretty well – why not have a cell phone camera?

Obviously these things would need extensive research to be implemented, but the fact remains that current tactics are not working as well as they could and should be.

Though likely reluctant to admit it, the majority of us – myself included – are guilty of distraction while behind the wheel. I know I'm guilty of at least one instance driving out of turn through a four-way stop while trying to unlock my phone – a situation that could have ended very badly for me and my wife (who gave me “the look” for my act) – and that's just one that I can remember.

Aside from having legislation in place to clamp down on distracted drivers, we need to put forth more conscious efforts to keep our eyes on the road instead of on the screen of whatever device is in our hands. As much as we tell ourselves we're good enough drivers to deal with it, we're only kidding (and flattering) ourselves in a dangerous way.

Phones have voicemail. Text messages can be read after you stop. Email can always wait. You owe it to yourself and especially to the people you're sharing the road with to put that phone down and pay attention. Your life or the life of someone else is not worth losing over a text message saying “what's up?”

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Jonathan Swigart is an award-winning journalist and has been around the automotive world his entire life. "Moving Violations" will explore some of the basic aspects of driving that drivers often overlook, among other topics related to driving and the auto industry. He lives in Champaign, Illinois
with his wife and son and works at the University of Illinois.

You can reach Jonathan by emailing [email protected]