April 29, 2014
I’m alarmed at how cavalier U.S. drivers have become about risk. I travel via car a lot and have seen some really recklessness on the road. While much of that recklessness is related to driver distraction I am also alarmed at what I see is a knee-jerk reaction to the risks of driver distraction. The use of smart devices while driving, even when using hands-free devices, present a significant risk to driver and pedestrian safety, but it seems like the safety pundits have extrapolated that ALL distractions while driving pose approximately the same risk; and this is just another example of the kind of reactionary thinking that creates unenforceable and irrational policies.
Most People Ignore Smart Device Policies
A recent poll by the National Safety Council found that 70% of respondents admitted that they knowingly violate their companies’ policies regarding the use of smart devices while driving. This is an alarming statistic until you really think about it. Ask yourself have you ever sent a text while waiting at a stop light? Does that constitute texting while driving? I don’t really have a dog in this fight. My company has a policy that forbids the use of smart devices while driving and it is very specific in its wording, so I know that texting at while stopped at a traffic light is forbidden. I follow our policy, but it wasn’t easy at first. I found it irritating and distracting that I couldn’t check my email while stopped at a light, and I was irritated by the time wasted in long drives where, I reasoned, I could get more done if I could just talk on the phone. But my company culture is very strong on this issue and because I was new to organization, the drive to conform was strong. I soon found that complying took a lot of stress out of my day and that my car rides were less stressful.
The Cry Goes Out Against “Other Distractions”
And so the witch hunt against driver distractions begins. What about conversations with passengers? What about gawking at an accident? What about a pretty girl in a short skirt? What about playing with the radio? What about GPSs? What about…just about anything you can think of that can distract you? There are already companies with initiatives underway to ban all driver distraction. With these efforts there is a renewed question in the minds of the organization: are safety professionals naturally soft in the head? It’s a fair question, when people see policies that ban everything from reading a book while driving to changing the station on the car radio it begs the question “how far out of touch is the safety function”?
Driving While Distracted Remains Dangerous
There has been a spate of recent studies that confirm that distracted driving is a serious threat to public safety, and the findings are troubling:
So if we combine these findings we essentially conclude that driving with any amount of distraction is as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol use. Unfortunately, this conclusion is completely wrong, and here’s why:
Instead of fighting driver distraction beyond texting and using a phone without hands-free capability I say we begin a campaign against driving like an ass. Over the last ten years I have seen a marked increase in drivers who don’t use turn signals, make illegal turns, speed, follow too close, cut off other drivers, and generally drive like a drug-addled baboon. They weren’t distracted; they were inconsiderate jerks who live without consequences. As long as we remain silent instead of notifying our local police departments that more people need to be stopped and ticketed for these behaviors the problem will only get worse.
[1] This is not to say that texting while watching the road was a safe or smart practice but it was marginally less unsafe than before the law was passed.
This article retreieved from Philladuke.wordpress.com
