Distracted driving is an epidemic
A poll released by Harris Interactive/HealthDay indicates that most adults who drive regularly readily admit to having engaged in distracted driving behaviors. Eating and drinking lead the list at 86%, talking on non-hands-free cell phones at 59%, using a GPS at 41%, texting at 37%, and applying makeup at 14%.
Distracted driving is any driving in which less than your full attention is focused on driving safely. It includes operating a motor vehicle, truck, or car while texting, talking on the phone, talking to people in the car, or looking around at places other than on the roadway.
Distracted Driving is Dangerous – Statistics
Distracted driving is dangerous. In 2018, 2,841 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver. An estimated additional 276,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. 18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.
Increases Risk of Collisions
A University of Utah study found that talking on a mobile phone increases your chance of a collision by four times. This is about the same chance as if you were driving drunk. Texting increases this risk to eight times.
Driving distracted is easy
As my then 17-year-old daughter answered the question, “Why do so many people use cell phones while driving?”: Cell phone use is “normal.” We use cell phones all the time, so why not while driving?
Texting While Driving
Illinois law prohibits texting while driving. A bill in the House at the Capitol in Springfield seeks to ban talking on a cell phone while driving. The laws about not being distracted while driving—talking and texting on the phone—were designed for safety.
Mobile phone use is a major cause of distracted driving
We think we can multi-task and do it well. We cannot. Research studies show that a multitasking person performs tasks as poorly as someone concentrating on a single task. Research studies show that multi-tasking results in poor performance, slow performance, and non-performance.
The Brain Cannot Multitask
I read a book called Brain Rules by molecular biologist John Medina. The author writes in the chapter on Attention: “The brain cannot multitask. Multi-tasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth.” Wow. I thought we could all walk and chew gum at the same time. Yes, he says, you can walk and chew gum simultaneously, but he is talking about the brain’s ability to pay attention. He says the research firmly establishes that our brains can only focus on one thing at a time.
This is critical information for drivers. We think we can talk on the cell phone and drive well. Science establishes that we cannot talk on the cell phone and drive safely. Research shows that a driver on a cell phone has reaction times similar to those of a legally intoxicated driver with a blood alcohol content of .08. Research shows that a driver who is texting is twice as dangerous as a person at the legal level of intoxication. That is scary information.
Recently, I was privileged to present End Distracted Driving presentations to students at York High School in Elmhurst, Illinois. The students were mostly in the Drivers Education class, ready to go. These young people are at the front lines of the soon-to-be driving public. The experience of sharing with and hearing from the students was an eye-opener. Guess who they seemed to single out as the worst offenders regarding distracted driving? Yes, parents.
We must work to make safe, undistracted driving “normal.” We can all take a couple of simple steps to do that. One step is to put away our cell phones when we drive. A second step is to speak up when we see others using their cell phones while driving. Let’s make safe driving “normal.”
We live in an age of distraction. There are so many things pulling our attention. That is OK if you are sitting on the couch or just sitting around with a friend at dinner. Driving a motor vehicle that is fast, heavy, and on wheels in a distracted manner could cause all sorts of mayhem, and you may be a victim of distracted driving.
Fines for Using Phone While Driving
In Illinois, stricter penalties for using or even holding a phone, laptop, tablet, or other hand-held device while driving will take effect in July 2020. A suspended license will result if a driver receives 3 violations yearly. If a driver using a device is involved in a serious accident that causes “great bodily harm, permanent disability or disfigurement,” the driver can be fined up to $1000 and lose their driving privileges.
Chicago Distracted Driving Attorneys
If you have been the victim of someone who was texting, talking on the phone, or otherwise unsafely distracted while driving, and you have questions about how to get a recovery or how to navigate that process, our Chicago distracted driving attorneys can help. Please email us at [email protected] or call (312)766-1000, and we’ll be happy to discuss your claim.