Editor,
You are driving south on State Highway 20 just south of Oak Harbor and the car just ahead of you catches your attention.
It’s proceeding just under the speed limit and you notice that it is repeatedly drifting back and forth across the fog line on the highway. The speed of the vehicle is inconsistent. Is the driver impaired because he/she is “under the influence” or is something else going on?
More than likely these days, that driver is distracted by one or more driving activities, such as using a cell phone, texting or eating. Of the three main types of distraction — taking your eyes off of the road, taking your hands off the steering wheel or taking your mind off of driving — texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three.
Each day in the United States, almost 10 people are killed and more than 1,150 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. In 2011 alone, nearly one in five crashes in which someone was injured involved distracted driving. Moreover, in 2012, 3,328 people were killed and another 421,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.
A 2011 Centers for Disease Control study on mobile device use while driving revealed that 69 percent of drivers in the United States ages 18-64 reported that they had talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed. Among this same group, 31 percent reported that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving at least once during the same time period.
Texting, in particular, takes the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently, and for longer periods than other distractions. Younger, inexperienced drivers under age 20 appear to be at increased risk since they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.
Although exceptions exist, drivers in Washington State are prohibited from holding cell phones and other wireless communications devices to their ears and are prohibited from text messaging. The distracted driving fine is $124 and can be more if an accident results. A driver talking on a cell phone is as impaired as a drunk driver with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08. One who is texting is as impaired as a driver with a 0.16 blood-alcohol level — twice the legal limit!
Distracted driving is a serious public health hazard that could affect every one of us. We can do more to prevent needless accidents by adopting sensible driving habits, which exclude the use of cell phones and other mobile devices.
If we observe what appears to be a distracted driver in front of us, we should call 911 and report the vehicle to the appropriate authorities.
By doing our part, we can make our roadways safer and avoid some of the senseless tragedies that befall our community.
Marshall F. Goldberg
Oak Harbor
