A concerted effort is underway to reduce the number of accidents, injuries, and fatalities caused by distracted driving.
The recently-formed National Distracted Driving Coalition brings together members of organizations that include the American Trucking Associations, National Transportation Safety Board, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Governors Highway Safety Association, National Sheriffs’ Association, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to form a steering committee. Representatives are tasked with bringing expertise and resources to the table to raise awareness and reduce distracted driving incidents.
“In no other mode of transportation would we accept the kind of carnage that we have on our highways,” National Transportation Safety Board vice chairman Bruce Landsberg reportedly said. “Distracted driving is one significant and growing part of that. It has to stop. We’re killing literally thousands of people every year.”
According to data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other sources, distracted driving has been linked to the following.
- Distracted driving results in more than 3,000 deaths annually.
- More than 300,000 people sustain injuries due to distracted driving annually.
- Approximately 20 percent of all auto accident injuries involved distracted driving.
- More than 40 percent of high school students admitted to texting while driving.
- The financial toll associated with distracted driving costs $40 billion annually.
Although distracted driving was reportedly a factor in 8.5 percent of automobile accident fatalities in 2019, texting-while-driving laws, enforcement, and awareness appear to be reducing unnecessary deaths. The number of distracted driving deaths declined from 3,477 in 2016 to 3,142 in 2019. While 48 states and the District of Columbia prohibit texting while driving, only 24 ban the practice of using cell phones while operating a motor vehicle.
“We know that ensuring safe driving behavior is key in improving highway safety, and perhaps no action would do more for the cause of safety than reducing distractions for drivers,” American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear reportedly said. “America’s truckers see motorists on their phones while driving countless times a day, and if a driver is focused on a text or call, we know they aren’t focused on driving safely.”
Other proponents of curbing distracted driving see ongoing initiatives making a significant difference. Georgia Rep. John Carson reportedly sponsored a “hands-free” driving bill that became law in 2018. He continues to work with lawmakers in Arizona, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, and Indiana, among others, to draft and pass legislation that penalizes distracted driving while raising awareness. He likens the safety risk to drunk driving before heightened awareness, and stiff penalties reduced DUIs.
“In addition to state law, what we want to do is change the culture,” Rep. Carson reportedly said. “Years ago, driving while intoxicated by alcohol was not as socially taboo as it is today. That’s where we want to get to with regard to distracted driving.”
Members of the National Distracted Driving Coalition are determined to fund safety initiatives and discussed pushing for a nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving.
Sources: ttnews.com, hunterwatson.com
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