Tackling The Distracted Driving "Epidemic"

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s second annual distracted driving summit begins tomorrow, and the party’s getting started right: with the release of 2009’s distracted driving fatality numbers. 5,474 Americans died as a result of driver distraction last year, according to NHTSA data [ PDF here]. 448,000 “traffic injuries” were attributed to the distracted driving “epidemic,” an epithet LaHood has employed since his crusade against driver distraction began last year. Strangely though, distracted driving deaths remained flat as a percentage of overall traffic fatalities (16%) last year.

But, argues LaHood in an Orlando Sentinel op-ed, police often don’t report the role of distraction in traffic incidents, so the actual number could be higher. That’s an argument we’d expect from the guy hosting a database that is infamous for its inaccuracy, but we’re still struggling how a statistically flat phenomenon (in an environment of improving highway safety) qualifies as an “epidemic.” More importantly, we’re not sure that LaHood’s conference will have any more of an impact than last years. But hey, at least it’s better than scolding Snooki on Twitter. A cabinet Secretary can only do so much…

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • David C. Holzman David C. Holzman on Sep 20, 2010

    There are several things about texting that make it far worse than anything else. The VA Tech studies clearly show that if you take your eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds, your chances of getting into a crash go way up, and keep going up exponentially as a function of time. The combination of reading and typing that texting dictates means it's going to pull peoples' eyes away from the road for way more than 2 seconds.

    The other thing about texting is that most people who use it as a major means of communicating can't control their urges even if they are driving. Texting while driving needs to be banned, on pain of very large fines.

    Car companies should be prohibited from adding potentially distracting technologies at least until studies can be done to evaluate them. Perhaps the car companies could be hit up to fund the studies at places like Virginia Tech.

    It should be noted that there is a huge difference between communicating by cell phone (by texting or voice) and talking with a passenger. In hairy traffic situations, passengers serve as backup, watching the road and pointing out hazards, and ceasing to converse if things get bad enough. Someone who is talking to you via cell phone while you are driving doesn't do that.

  • Stationwagon Stationwagon on Sep 20, 2010

    distracted driving is not an epidemic, drunken driving and lack of driver education and short yellow lights are the main threats to the safety of motorist.

    • Mcs Mcs on Sep 20, 2010

      +1 There are definitely a lot of other hazards that are out there. The deer and other wildlife in my neighborhood are worse hazards than the distracted drivers I've encountered. Speaking of short timing on lights, there's a light near me that I timed today at 8 seconds of green before it turned to yellow. Not a lot of fun when you're on a bike trying to get across 5 lanes.

  • Windswords Windswords on Sep 21, 2010

    This administration has overused the word "crisis", so LaHood had to settle for "epidemic".

    • Joeaverage Joeaverage on Sep 21, 2010

      Surely the previous administration didn't do things like that too did they? Hum, let's see - two unnecessary wars? What is it about 2010 that we need to talk continuously on the phone when previous generations could wait until they got where they were going. I watched a huge delivery truck being manuvered through traffic this morning while the driver held a phone to his head. If it was work related he should have made that call before he left b/c he was less than 1/4 mile from the hardware store he worked for.

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