Have you ever been driving down the road and looked to the person driving next to you only to notice that instead of paying an ounce of attention to the road, he is looking down at his phone while texting? This has happened to me too many times to count.
I'm determined not to write, send, or read text messages while driving. For my safety, because it's the law, and because I'm usually driving with this extremely precious cargo...
I'm determined not to write, send, or read text messages while driving. For my safety, because it's the law, and because I'm usually driving with this extremely precious cargo...
Distracted driving to me is looking in the rear view mirror at this cute little face while I'm driving, and occasionally paying too much attention to my navigation when I'm going some place I've never been before. Don't get me wrong, I'm tempted to grab my phone when I hear the little text message or email notification, but it's not worth looking. Nothing is as urgent as getting to my destination safely.
Despite the texting ban in Washington, I constantly see people texting/looking at their phones while driving. I usually get a little upset, but don't do anything. Occasionally, I have honked my horn to shift the driver's attention. Not only are these people putting their lives in danger, but as a driver sharing the road with them, they are also putting me and my family in danger.
I have been wondering lately what the proper etiquette is when I see somebody clearly paying more attention to his/her phone than the road. Do I simply ignore it? Do I honk at them to let them know that I noticed? Should I report it? I'm not sure that anything would come of reporting it. Plus, if I got the license plate number and made a phone call while driving, I would likely be more distracted than the distracted driver I am reporting.
What do you think? Do you do anything when you witness drivers texting while driving?
I don't treat texting while driving differently than any other distraction a driver has. I've seen many drivers texting and talking on phones. I've never done anything about them because at that point in time, they didn't appear to pose a significant risk to the driving scene. That said, I have on a handful of occasions responded to dangerous drivers by calling 911. I think it's best to allow the police to do the police work.
ReplyDeleteNSHTA's stats on distracted driving are here: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811379.pdf
In a nutshell, in 2009 - 995 people in the US died in a cell phone related traffic collision. There were a total of 5474 that died because of distracted driving. So roughly only one in five distracted drivers is distracted because of a cell phone. Why not ban the activities that cause 80% of distracted driving fatalities, too?
Compare those stats with the US's 10,839 alcohol related driving fatalities in 2009 (http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811363.PDF). This means there are 10 times as many drunk drivers causing fatal collisions than cell phone drivers.
I believe our extra focus these days on cell phones is misguided. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe it's healthy to text and drive. Quite the opposite. It's just that the stats point to a deadlier habit Americans need to break.
If we were really serious about cutting traffic fatalities then we'd outlaw alcohol not cell phones.
I understand your argument about there being other bad habits for us to focus on, but two years later, do you still feel this way? Do you still feel that texting/using your phone while driving is still something we shouldn't be working hard towards stopping?
DeleteI think our efforts to curb cell phone use while driving are a bit misguided. A ton of time and resources are spent on that. Many states have outlawed it. I don't believe people have stopped using phones while driving. They're just hiding it, which is more damning than being open about it.
DeleteEssentially, I believe the underlying problem is that driving is too easy, so experienced drivers seek ways to keep engaged in the traffic scene. If that were changed, people would self regulate their behavior to be safe. They text because they think it's safe.
If I recall correctly, 95% of cars in the US have an automatic transmission. European nations have just about the opposite statistic and favor manual transmission vehicles. They also better train their drivers (requiring 20-30 hours behind the wheel with an instructor - most US states require 6, a handful 8 and some don't require any lessons at all, Canadian programs require double our average). Europe has have half the fatalities that we have in the US. An fairly easy way to engage American drivers more would be to get more people driving stick shift vehicles. Maybe an ad campaign promoting that would help wake us up.
Phones, etc. are dangerous for novice drivers. They are not as dangerous to an experienced driver (who has been driving continuously for more than 5 years) but rather they are similar to other distractions (eating, changing the radio, etc).
I usually just kind of drift into their lane a little bit. Then they make the conscious decision to put the phone down probably say to themselves, "Wow there are a lot of bad drivers out today, I better concentrate on the road."
ReplyDeleteha ha ha. love it.
ReplyDeleteWell, if you see someone texting while driving, it's a signal that you should consider driving more carefully. Be observant, more or less. If there's evidence that the driving is pretty risky, it's best to stop for a while and report the vehicle to the authorities.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading up on what to do as well. My boyfriend and I are going to be traveling in an RV full time with our precious cargo, two dogs. We also ride a motorcycle. It really bothers me on the interstate. The best advice I could find was to pull over, call 911 with the license plate and make and model, and let them know. You should only call 911 if they are driving erratically and it is (key word here) DANGEROUS to other drivers. If you see them swerving or cutting people off, you have every right to report it.
ReplyDeleteI seriously want to start a nation-wide campaign along the lines of "If I honk at you get off your "beeping" phone"...need a national voice like Oprah or someone and lots of bumper stickers. I do honk sometimes and pretty much always get the finger in return. Idiots.
ReplyDeleteA nationwide campaign would be great! These people who are nay-saying the dangers of texting and who only want to talk about "the other" distractions out there are probably texting while driving themselves. This is ridiculous. It's saturated out there. While driving earlier, a truck swerved into my lane. I then saw she was taking selfies. Narcisism is everywhere these days and it's sickening.
DeleteI wish something could be done. Have you seen Snapchat lately? It's apparently now a thing to video yourself talking on Snapchat while driving. I see Moms with kids in the backseat, driving around, complaining about wet roads and such. Why is this suddenly acceptable? Why aren't these parents worried about killing their kids? Snapchat is fairly new, so I have a feeling the worst is yet to come. How do you think these Moms would feel if someone crashed into them due to a cellphone, injuring their kids or worse?
ReplyDeleteTo Bridget. Our focus has never been off DUIs. We went from having to worry about DUI drivers to now worrying about them PLUS cellphone drivers. You have to bring attention to every serious issue. In my area, compared to just 5 years ago, LE has gotten much more strict with DUIs. Playing on your cell while driving is many levels above the old playing with your radio habit. Your radio had one thing that distracted, music. And car radios aren't handheld. Phones distract with Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, tumblr, texts, pictures, calls, video messages on and on. I'm just as against "phone driving" as I am DUI. It's dangerous and I'd really like to see something done to more prevent it.
I honk when they are texting and make a gesture like I am texting they usually flip me off. I had one get behind me and start to tailgate me after I did this I slow down when tailgated to 25 mph and wont budge till they go around then I speed back up. I saw one guy texting away swerving in traffic I look in the back and I see two car seats he had his little kids with him. I was shocked I happen to see him at the gas station and said did you know texting and driving kills get this he said he was just checking his fb posts what a freaking moron.
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