Driving While Distracted (Anyone, Not Just Teens)

A pretty intense PSA was produced in the UK targeting texting while driving. I’ve seen comments by well-intentioned folks suggesting that it is too graphic for teen consumption. I have a hard time understanding their logic. If you haven’t already seen the video, you can see it here:



Utah has also produced a lengthy video about texting while driving that is worth the time it takes to view it.





I’m not a great believer in showing graphic videos to teens as a means of convincing them not to take risks, or drive irresponsibly. Preaching abstinence just doesn’t work very well. That’s why I believe we should be banning all cell phone use while operating a motor vehicle. I also understand that this will probably not happen in my lifetime.

Trinity Noble has developed technology that will only prevent the driver from using a hand-held cell phone while the vehicle is in motion above 15mph. It will still allow calls using blue tooth hands-free units. It requires FCC approval in order to be legally installed in a vehicle.

Until we all realize that driving while distracted is dangerous, and change our behavior, the gruesome collision statistics will continue to pile up. No text message or call is so important that we should be risking the lives of others so that we can handle it. Yet that’s precisely what so many drivers today do, every day. How did we collectively develop such an inflated sense of importance?

Cell Coach - Distracting or Lifesaving?

In our January e-newsletter, we introduced readers to a new device on the market - the Cell Coach manufactured out of Tucson, Arizona. The Cell Coach was designed to put an end to driving while talking/texting on cell phones especially for teen drivers.

Installed under the vehicle's dashboard, the device emits a loud alert when it detects cell phone signals either from the driver making a call, answering a call or attempting to send a text message. The sound, a 90 decibel alert, is so loud and annoying that teens can't help but hang up, concentrate and drive.

Some teens that have tested out the product say that it has made them stop using their cell phones completely while driving.

If you've used this product or if you know of someone who has, we're interested in hearing if it's been helpful and whether or not the shrill sound of the alert distracts the teen driver. Also, how long does the alert sound after the teen has hung up the phone? We think this is a good idea. What do you think?

Teen Was Texting at Time of Accident

It happened in Lewiston, Idaho this week. A teen was texting while driving in a car full of passengers. A VERY dangerous combination. I see two things wrong with this picture - one - that she tried to text message while driving which we know takes our eyes off the road and two - that other teens were in the car with her. What was so important that whoever was on the other end of her text message needed to know right then and there? We will never know. She lost control of her vehicle on the highway. One passenger is in critical condition after experiencing a ruptured spleen and the other suffered a concussion.

Two states mentioned in the article have already implemented a ban on cell phone usage while driving...Washington and Utah. Idaho hasn't favored this restriction and come to think of it, neither has Arizona.

I'm not saying that teens are completely at fault for talking on cell phones or texting while driving. We are all guilty of doing it at one point or another and we need to stop. After all, what's more important? Putting you and others on the road in danger to have a conversation or getting to your destination alive? You be the judge.

Drivers on cell phones are as bad as drunk drivers

Cell Phone Usage While Driving

Is It As Dangerous As Drunk Driving? Psychologists Agree.

It has been a debate that has gone on for some time now - whether to ban cell phones while driving. DrivingMBA asks the question, “Is cell phone usage as dangerous as drunk driving on the road?” Utah psychologists, the National Safety Council and others around the nation say yes.

A study that garnered the media's wide attention showed that drivers who talk on hand-held or hands-free cellular devices, or worse yet, text messaging, are as impaired as drunken drivers. Results stated that talking on the phone leads to a 30% reduction in reaction time. Text messaging, according to the National Safety Council, takes a driver’s eyes off the road 40% more often than if the driver was not texting.

“We found that people are as impaired when they drive and talk on the cell phone as they are when they drive intoxicated at the legal blood-alcohol limit,” said Frank Drews, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Utah. “If legislators really want to address driver distraction, then they should consider outlawing cell phone use while driving.”This study didn’t just analyze teens, it stated that all drivers, novice or experienced, become easily distracted while driving and talking on a cell phone. It is not the actual cell phone in hand that’s the distracting part, but the conversation itself.In order for legislators to ban cell phone use while driving completely, certain steps need to occur.

If you're interested in making a change, team up with others in your community and contact your local congressmen.

To read the complete study on cell phone usage while driving, click here. To read more articles about teen driving, click here.