Wake Up to Dangers of Distracted Driving

Understanding Distracted Driving

This morning an email circulated at Kia Country asking us to watch a video. The lead in read, “A Hong Kong movie theater asked its patrons to leave their cellphones ON when they entered the movie…”

Watch it. It certainly provided a Monday morning wake-up call about the dangers of distracted driving. It is no wonder the video has had more than 1.5 million views in three days.

By now, we should all know the dangers of texting and driving. We should know it is illegal; and, although; we may not know the actual statistics, we should know people are being killed.

If for any reason you don’t know, South Carolina bans texting for all drivers, but has no ban on cell phone or hand held devices.

“It is unlawful for a person to use a wireless electronic communication device to compose, send, or read a text-based communication while operating a motor vehicle on the public streets and highway of this State.”

The penalty in case you don’t know is $25. According to an article published in the City Paper in June, “South Carolina’s penalty is tied with Alabama’s and Kentucky’s for second cheapest in the nation. Compared to a whopping $10,000 in Alaska, $750 in Utah, $500 in Maine, Indiana Oregon, it hardly seems like we take this seriously.

In spite of the many laws passed nationally, the facts show that texting while driving is on an upswing and is quickly becoming one of the country’s leading causes of death.

Texting while Driving Causes:

• 1,600,000 accidents per year—National Safety Council
• 330,000 injuries per year—Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study
• 11 teen deaths every day—Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Fatality Facts
• Nearly 25% of all accidents
• Makes you 23x more likely to crash—National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
• Is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving while intoxicated
• The same as driving after four beers—National Highway Transportation Safety Administration

According to the Centers for Disease Control, in the U.S. more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,153 people are injured in crashes caused by distracted driving. Distracted driving is doing something else while you are driving that results in you taking your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel and your mind off of driving and includes. Texting involves visual, manual and cognitive attention and is therefore considered the most dangerous. Other forms of distracted driving include:

• Using a cell phone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

To be honest, many of us text and drive. It’s not that we plan to, but our friends on the other side of the conversation don’t know we are driving and sometimes driving is boring. We think we are great drivers. Based on the accidents we see on every morning and evening commute, we may not be quite as adept as we think we are.

Texting while driving is an intentional act, not an accident.

There are plenty of things beyond our control that could kill us—cancer, heart disease, stroke—Ebola.

Let’s take this off the table.