Distracted Drivers

The United States Transportation Department recently proposed to forbid text messaging while driving by interstate truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on Transportation Department public service program to lessen the number of distractions that cause accidents. The plan would make permanent an interim ban announced in January by the Transportation Secretary. The proposed ban applies to bus drivers and truck drivers operating vehicles weighing more than five tons. To give an idea of the serious nature of the problem, the drivers could be facing civil penalties and/or even criminal charges. The United States Department of Transportation reports that 5,870 people were killed and about 515,000 were injured in 2008 in accidents connected to distracted drivers. The department has not determined how many of those deaths and injuries involved an electronic device. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration echoes the Transportation Department statistics with an estimate that around eighty percent of accidents are caused by distracted drivers. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is sponsoring research to determine the extent of the distraction problem. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) states that driver inattention is a leading factor in many crashes, and mobile phone use and texting are some of the most common driver distractions. States aren’t waiting for data and are enacting new regulations dealing with mobile phone use and texting . The Governors Highway Safety Association reports that currently 20 states plus the District of Columbia restrict drivers of all types of vehicles from sending text messages while behind the wheel. An additional nine states prohibiting texting by novice drivers. The remaining states are expected to implement the ban before too long. But it is also believed that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technology is required. The GHSA purports to say it supports texting bans for all drivers, but does have concerns about enforcement. The trucking and passenger bus trade associations support the texting prohibition, and many corporations have firm policies against texting when behind the wheel. The government, industry and safety organizations all agree that driver distraction caused bytexting is a menace to society, and deserves action. Advocates for addressing the problem also include celebrity Oprah. Undoubtedly there are numerous distractions interfering with a driver focusing on driving: changing the radio or a finding a tape or CD, talking to passengers, observing an event outside the vehicle, and of course, using cellphones and sending text messages. Navigational and other interactive devices also cause inattention.