Distracted driving

Distracted Driving 

             It has been in the news lately that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended that all use of electronic devices by the operators of motor vehicles be outlawed.  This has raised considerable comment, both for and against.

            I find it interesting that an article posted by the Associated Press on December 9 reported on a survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which showed that at any given moment one in every 100 car drivers was texting, emailing, surfing the web or otherwise using a handheld electronic device.

            Although there were an estimated 3,092 deaths in crashes in 2010 attributed to a wide range of driver distractions, most of the respondents to the survey said that they would answer a cell phone call while driving and nearly 20% admitted sending texts or emails while at the wheel.  A quarter of those surveyed said that texting or emailing made no difference in their driving performance.

            It is quite obvious that a huge educational effort will have to be made before the suggested ban on all electronic devices, including even hands-free ones, will be accepted by the public.