Truckers, as professional drivers, should be leaders in safe driving behaviors. Too often I see drivers on cell phones going down the road with reduced attention to the road. We can only expect continued pressure to cease distracted driving practices, but the good news is that the enforcement decreases the likelihood of having other careless drivers involve trucks in the results of their distracted highway behaviors.
Results of a survey conducted July 13, 14, 16 and 17 via landline and cell phone, by Financial Dynamics for Allstate Insurance polled 1,000 American adults for the truth about their driving practices.
In this voluntary survey many American drivers fully admit to practicing dangerous behaviors on the road, with 89% saying they’ve driven faster than the posted speed limit, with 40% admitting to driving more than 20 miles per hour over the limit.
More than one-third (34%) say they’ve sent a text-message or email while driving, but the prevalence of the practice changes by age group, Allstate found. Those 18 to 29 years of age are the most likely to text while driving (63%) with drivers ages 30 to 44 not far behind at (58%).
Texting while driving, though, decreases with older age groups: only 25% of those aged 45 to 54 admitted to doing it, falling to 6% of those 55 to 64, and just 2% of those over 65. While I can’t believe that truckers would be texting while driving – I can’t believe any driver would risk taking their eyes off the road long enough to read or write a text. These figures are scary!
A DOT press release on July 11, 2011 announced new research that shows enforcement cuts distracted driving. Pilot programs significantly curbed texting and cell phone use behind the wheel in two pilot projects that measured the effect of increased law enforcement coupled with high-profile public education campaigns. If you haven’t already gone to a hands-free phone system, now would be a good time. More enforcement is on the horizon.
“These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents.”
During four periods of stepped up enforcement over the past year, Syracuse police issued 9,587 citations for driver violations involving talking or texting on cell phones while operating a vehicle. During the same period, police in Hartford, Connecticut, issued 9,658 tickets for illegal phone use.
Before and after each enforcement wave, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) actively observed cell phone use and conducted public awareness surveys at driver licensing offices in the two cities, which found:
In Syracuse, New York because of high-visibility enforcement – both handheld cell phone use and texting behind the wheel declined by one-third.
In Hartford, Connecticut, where researchers initially identified drivers talking on their cell phones at twice the frequency (which left more room for improvement), there was a 57 percent drop in handheld use and texting behind the wheel dropped by nearly three-quarters.
NHTSA plans to test this same three-part formula – tough laws, strong enforcement, and ongoing public awareness – at the state-wide level next.
Nationwide, 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have enacted texting bans. Nine states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands have prohibited all hand-held cell phone use while driving.
To learn more about NHTSA’s efforts on distracted driving visit www.distraction.gov.
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