Dangers of Driving Distracted

Texting while driving has become infamously hazardous for the millions of Americans who use mobile devices as well as those of us who come in contact with these drivers on a daily basis. However, this is not the only distraction that impairs motorists today and these inhibitions to safe driving are causing nearly 60% of auto collisions today. End Distracted Driving  been campaigning for years to stop these sorts of crashes from happening. Many times we do not realize the danger we are putting ourselves and others in when we choose to eat a snack on the road or call a friend.

In a presentation series by End Distracted Driving, the reaction time of someone on a cell phone was equal to that of a person with a .08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Content), and someone who was texting was equal to that of a person with a BAC of .16. Texting endangers not only those in the car of the person texting behind the wheel, but also everyone who the driver may hit in their time not focusing on the road. On an average highway where one travels at 55mph, in the five seconds it takes to open a text one will have already traveled a football field’s length. You wouldn’t close your eyes while driving for more than it takes to blink, so why would anyone text and do basically the same thing?

The Problem of Distracted Driving

              If someone asked you to close your eyes while driving on the highway for around five seconds, more than likely you would never comply. However millions of Americans are doing just that every day when they text while driving. If you are driving fifty-five miles an hour and take your eyes off the road for five seconds, you will have traveled one hundred yards; all the while being blind to your surroundings. The following are some pretty scary statistics to think about, especially when preventing these life-threatening situations is as easy as focusing while driving.

• 80% of all collisions and 65% of near crashes have some form of driver inattention as contributing factors. That is over 4,000,000 crashes per year in North America that are caused by driver distraction.

• Cell phone use is attributed to 18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes.

What makes up the other 82%? Putting on lipstick, reaching over to grab a drink, changing the music, reading a roadmap, eating on the go: The distractions are endless. But they don’t have to be.

• Talking on a cell phone makes a driver 4 times more likely to have a crash or near crash event. Texting makes them 23 times more likely to have this happen.

• Texting slows driver reaction time even more than alcohol! In fact, even making a phone call delays reaction time about as much as having a .08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Content)

              There are many unpreventable dangers when driving, but driving distracted is not one of them. It is a driver’s responsibility to prepare for their drive before they put the car in drive, whether that means making sure the radio is turned to a satisfactory station or that you will not be tempted to answer any messages from your cell phone while driving. Safety of yourself as well as fellow drivers can be a difficult thing to control, but keeping your eyes and thoughts on the road can help keep you safe.

 

But it’s important to realize that distracted driving is not only caused by phones and various other objects. In fact, that sort of manual stimuli makes up only one third of the types of distractions to drivers. One type most people don’t think about is cognitive distraction, which has affected all of us at some point in our lives. Driving while angry, depressed, or even just tired can be just as bad as driving while on the phone. Driving while tired leads to the third type of distraction: visual. Visual distractions can be caused by texting, but also through mental distractions brought on by sleep deprivation of intense thought. No matter what the reason for distraction, there is no excuse for imperiling others as well as yourself by driving under these conditions.

For more information on Distracted Driving, go to EndDD.org, or visit their page on any major social networking website.

 

 

Expensive vehicle safety tech is out of reach for too many

Safety systems aren't valuable if they aren't on vehicles. Too often, this happens when buyers are presented a false choice between safety and affordability.

Automotive innovations are saving lives. While crash fatalities remain unacceptably high — with about 100 people dying on our roads every day — today's new car models include some of the safest vehicles ever created, in part because of crash-avoidance systems that are proved to yield significant safety benefits. But these systems aren't valuable if they aren't on vehicles. Too often, this happens when buyers are presented a false choice between safety and affordability.

Research by Consumer Reports has found that millions of America's most popular vehicles come off assembly lines every year without lifesaving technology that should be standard. Vehicles with blind-spot warning are estimated to prevent up to 26 percent of fatal lane-change crashes, according to insurance claims data. But these systems come standard on just three of the 15 top-selling 2020 models in the U.S. and are completely unavailable on one of them. Instead, buyers usually must pay about $2,500 extra. Getting blind-spot warning on the Ford F-150 costs over $12,000 above sticker.

Upgrade for safety

Clearly, the feature doesn't cost $12,000 — so what's going on? Some automakers are packaging safety systems with add-ons such as premium sunroofs and stereo systems, so the only way to get blind-spot warning is to pay much more. This is upselling on the basis of safety: taking advantage of some buyers who are just trying to protect themselves and their families, and putting lifesaving technology out of reach for others.

We're seeing a similar story for pedestrian detection, an enhancement of automatic emergency braking that can help drivers see pedestrians and hit the brakes sooner than they might otherwise. In 2018, 6,283 pedestrians died after a vehicle ran into them, an increase of 53 percent since 2009.

Too many are too slow

Many of these deaths are preventable, with research finding that Subaru vehicles with pedestrian detection had 35 percent fewer pedestrian-related bodily injury insurance claims than the same vehicles without the feature. Pedestrian detection now comes standard on 13 of the 15 top-selling models in the U.S. — a new and welcome development — but of the two remaining models, the system isn't available at all on the Ram 1500, and you can only get it on the Chevy Silverado 1500 for an extra $16,000.

Consumer Reports incorporates advanced safety technology into our scoring, which has helped move the market on systems such as pedestrian detection. But too many automakers are still moving slowly on too many safety features. That's why Consumer Reports is calling on Congress to pass legislation requiring blind-spot warning, pedestrian detection and other proven systems to come standard on all new vehicles.

More than 36,000 people die on our roads every year, yet access to safety technology is too often limited to those who can afford expensive upgrades. Our roads are much more dangerous than they should be, and automakers are letting their own innovations go to waste. Congress should put an end to this untenable situation for safety.

Automotive News-Op Ed

 

 

 Marathons, Ulramarathons, Life and the Practice of Law

The sum of my knowledge on Marathons, Ultramarathons, and perhaps this applies to life and the practice of law too:

 

1. Train, Train, Train—Practice, Practice, Practice-work hard and love the process.
1. Eat well, drink less alcohol, sleep well, and get up early.
2. Get started. Just get started—You will find your flow and help along the way from family, friends, fellow runners and total strangers. Say thanks and help others along the way.
3. Keep going. In the words of Churchill: “Just keep buggering on”. Persistence, perseverance, relentless forward progress-you will stun yourself with what you are actually capable of.
4. Smile and hug someone at the finish line. Be grateful. Drink a beer. Celebrate.
5. It doesn’t matter where you finish (or sometimes if you finish)-as long as you can look yourself in the eye and know you did your best.
6. Repeat 1-5.