The debate over distracted driving too often bogs down in statistics, politics and theory. Here is a dose of reality, taken from U.S. and Canadian police reports made over the past 12 months: A funeral was held this week for a teenager who died in a New Brunswick texting-and-driving accident. He was sending a text message when he lost control of his car and crashed into a rock wall. ... A 17-year-old girl died after she drove into a ditch and rolled her car because she was distracted while sending a text message, Iowa investigators say. ... An Arden, N.C., teenager killed in a car crash was … [Read more...]
9 in 10 teenage drivers distracted? LOL
August 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This week's alarming numbers about nine in 10 teenage drivers engaging in distracted behaviors deserve a closer look. The widely publicized survey, done for Seventeen magazine and AAA, talked to 2,000 drivers between the ages of 16 and 19. 86 percent of those teens said they engaged in distracted driving at some point. Pretty scary ... but let's take a look at what the survey defined as distracted driving: The activity drawing the most affirmative responses from the teens (73 percent) was adjusting a radio/CD or MP3 player -- an action they have in common with almost every driver on U.S. … [Read more...]
Missouri: Show us the ban, not the logo
July 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's heart seems in the right place with its new public safety campaign against texting and driving. Certainly there's a need: So far this year there have been 17,535 crashes in the Show Me State where distracted driving was cited as a contributing cause. The highway patrol even arranged for a race car to bear the logo for the no-texting campaign, one of those red-cross-out designs that says "no texting." Want a decal for your very own car? They're free to the public as window clingers. One slight problem. If you're a driver 21 or older in Missouri, feel free … [Read more...]
Lobbyists fight distracted driving laws
July 1, 2010 by 1 Comment
A Washington lobbying group has been pitching cell phone companies and car manufacturers on a plan to derail distracted-driving legislation, according to several media reports this week. July 7 update: The lobbyists abandoned the effort to derail distracted driving laws after a scolding from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The lobbyists said they had succeeded in opening up the debate -- at any rate they succeeded in attracting a lot of publicity /update Oprah Winfrey and the DOT's LaHood are seen as threats to the mobile communications industry, according to the 10-page memo … [Read more...]
South Dakotans see texting ad — but no laws
June 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment
South Dakota hasn't gotten around to banning texting while driving. Two attempts at distracted driving laws crashed and burned in the Legislature this season as lawmakers fretted about personal liberties and enforcement. Prospects for distracted driving legislation in South Dakota next session: murky at best. But the state has a PSA. Better than nothing. … [Read more...]
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