Distracted Drivers

The US Department of Transportation just offered a plan to outlaw text messaging at the wheel by interstate truck and bus drivers. This regulatory action follows up on Transportation Department public service program to mitigate distractions that lead to crashes. The proposal would replace the temporary ban put in place at the beginning of the calendar year by the Transportation Secretary. The planned ban applies to drivers of passenger buses and commercial trucks operating vehicles with a gross vehicle weight over five tons. To give an idea of the serious nature of the problem, the drivers could face civil penalties and/or even criminal penalties. The US Department of Transportation reported almost 6,000 people died and about 515,000 were injured in 2008 in accidents involving distracted drivers. The department has not determined how many of those deaths and injuries involved cell phone. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration echoes the Transportation Department estimates 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 distracted driver issue. The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) states that driver inattention is a determining factor in many crashes, and cell phone calls and texting are leading causes of driver distractions. State legislatures have reacted to the growing concern regarding cell phone calls and sending text messages while driving by issuing a range of new laws, inclucing banning handheld cell phone use or texting by all drivers or restricting mobile phone use or texting for a specific demographic, such as teens or school bus drivers. The GHSA reports that twenty states plus Washington DC outlaw drivers of all types of vehicles from texting while driving. Another nine states restricting texting by new drivers. The remaining states are expected to implement the ban before too long. However it is also believed that the laws are not enough to stop the problem and technical solutions are 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 companies have explicit policies prohibiting texting when driving. The government, industry and safety organizations have found common ground that distracted drivers caused bytexting is a menace to society, and is worthy of action. Advocates for dealing with the problem also include media powerhouse Oprah Winfrey. Without question there are many distractions interfering with a driver focusing on driving: fiddling with the radio or a putting in tape or CD, talking to passengers, observing an event outside the vehicle, and of course, using mobile phones and texting. Navigational and other interactive devices also distract drivers.