|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Can I Have Your Attention, Please?
APCO-MS.org staff
Quick—what's the number one cause of motor vehicle accidents?
If you said drunk driving, you're wrong. Falling asleep at the wheel, also wrong. Mechanical failures, wrong again. Overloaded vehicle, not even close.
It's something even simpler—inattention. Distraction of a driver causes more accidents than any other cause. We've all heard of people who crashed while battling an insect inside their vehicle, when the hot coffee they were drinking spilled in their lap, when they dropped their cigarette in the floorboard instead of the ashtray. What ties all of these together is one simple element: inattention.
Usually, distractions while driving can be eliminated. Having a mosquito or fly in the vehicle is annoying, but it's rare that you can't pull off the road and deal with the pest while the vehicle is safely in park. Noisy passengers can be told to "hush, y'all," hot drinks can be toted in a spillproof container. But there's one thing that most people have trouble ignoring—the cellular phone.
Cellular phones on the road have proven to be deadly. Studies show that drivers who use cellular phones while operating a vehicle are nearly five times more likely to be involved in an accident. A sobering thought—the number of accidents attributed to cellular phone use is just as great as the number of accidents attributed to drunk driving. The problem has led many countries and states to enact laws banning the use of a cellular phone while operating a motor vehicle. (Mississippi law currently does not limit the use of a cellular phone while driving. The federal government is examining legislation to put a nationwide ban in place.)
A surprising finding is that even handsfree cellular conversations can distract you enough to cause an accident. People carrying on conversations over handsfree were found to have reduced attention to things around them, at a rate comparable to people actually holding a cellular phone while talking. And with 168 million people using cellular phones in the United States alone, that's a lot of danger on the highways.
Keeping a cellular phone in your car for emergencies is a great idea, but it's a bad idea to use it while on the road. Here are some tips to keep you and the other drivers on the road safe:
• Don't use your phone while driving. Period. If you need to make or answer a call, pull safely off the roadway and talk while your car is in park. And don't be fumbling for your phone as you pull over—wait until your car is completely stopped before digging.
• Make calls before you hit the road. If you know you need to talk to people, make those calls before you get on the road. You'll have less people trying to reach you while you're driving, and won't have the temptation of a ringing phone to deal with.
• Turn the phone off. This is a hard one for most people—they just can't stand to miss a call. But missing a call is a better option than missing a bridge or an exit ramp. Most cellular providers offer voicemail as part of their standard service, and you can check for calls when you get to your destination safely.
• Let someone else drive. If you know you will be making phone calls while on the road, let someone else have the responsibility of safe driving while you chat from the passenger seat. Just make sure your conversation doesn't distract the driver—that defeats the whole purpose.
• Watch for other distracted drivers. If you see another driver using a cellular phone, be sure to keep a safe distance and watch for possible hazards that they might miss. If you're in front of someone using a cellular phone, make slow, deliberate stops and tap your brake lights to get their attention. If possible, slow down and let them pass—it's easier to avoid running into a distracted driver than to avoid being rear-ended by one.
And forget about trying to show the other driver how much you don't appreciate their talking while driving. Trying to get their attention can cost you your own, and make you as dangerous on the road as they are.
- - - - - -
|
|
|
 |
