By Pete Alfano
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. While drinking, texting, or talking on a smartphone are the leading causes of traffic accidents and fatalities, doing anything but paying attention to what is going on in front, behind, and to either side of you qualifies as being distracted. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines distracted driving as “any activity that diverts attention from the task at hand.”
This includes listening to the radio, drinking or eating while driving, carrying on a conversation with passengers, especially those in the rear seats, turning to scold your kids who are misbehaving in the back, fiddling with the rear-view mirror, combing your hair, applying makeup, adjusting the climate controls, wearing noise-canceling headphones, and smoking. You get the picture?
According to the NHTSA, however, the major culprit is texting. It is considered six times more dangerous than even drunk driving. The NHTSA says that sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving 100 yards with your eyes closed. And research has shown that using a hands-free phone while driving is just as distracting as holding a phone in your hand. It is estimated that drivers lose half of their environmental awareness, resulting in running red lights and stop signs and missing an exit if they are on a highway.
But remember, any kind of distracted driving is dangerous, and not just to drivers and passengers. The NHTSA reported that 3,308 people died as a direct result of distracted driving in 2022, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that one of every five victims was a pedestrian, cyclist, or otherwise outside the vehicle.
So, what can we do to cut down on distracted driving? Most states have enacted legislation to strictly limit or prohibit the use of cell phones. In Texas, driving with a hand-held device is illegal, although hands-free phones are allowed. It is illegal to use even a hands-free phone in a school zone and illegal to text while driving anywhere.
Laws are helpful, but education and mindset are considered the key to reducing distracted driving, especially among teenagers. Parents are encouraged to counsel their teenage drivers about the perils of using a cell phone or being distracted by any other means while driving. A survey of high school students in 2019 found that 39% of those who had driven in the previous 30 days had texted or emailed someone at least once while driving. Parents, however, must also practice what they preach because no one of any age should multi-task while driving.
That also means you don’t answer any phone calls while driving. If it is important, the caller will leave a voicemail. If you must make a call, pull over to the side of the road and park before dialing. Set your navigation system before you leave the driveway. And wait until you reach your destination before buying that coffee or cold drink. Truth be told, anyone with a driver’s license has been guilty of distracted driving. So, the next time you hit the road, have a look around you as you are driving. There’s not much wiggle room to spare.
Distracted Driver Tips
Everyone has probably had the experience of being behind a distracted driver on the highway. What should you do? Well, our instinct says to pass that driver as soon as possible, but that could be risky business, especially if you don’t know what that driver will do next. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that you slow down and put more distance between you and that driver. Should you honk your car horn? The jury is out on that, as it may worsen the situation. Definitely do not engage in road rage trying to pass the driver. If you think the distracted driver is an accident waiting to happen, pull over and call 911, giving police a description of the car and its license plate number, if you can memorize it. Do not, however, use your phone while driving to take a photo of the distracted driver’s car. If you have a passenger, let them call 911 and give the police the relevant information.
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