Distracted drivers cruise roadways
Kristin Dalin Fisher
Issue date: 9/11/09 Section: Features
Multi-tasking caused Callie Meggers, graphic design and journalism senior to become a statistic.
Meggers, while driving to class, said she was looking for a song on her mp3 player when she felt her car's airbag deploy. Meggers suffered minor injuries. Meggers' car was not so lucky.
Distracted driving is more dangerous than drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Universtiy of Kansas researchers compared the use of a cell phone while driving to a 0.08 blood alcohol level, the legal limit for drivers in all 50 states.
Drivers using a cell phone, even with a hands-free device, have as much as a 23 percent greater chance of being involved in a crash or near crash according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The risk is even higher for young adults who are 500 - 700 times more likely to be involved in an accident.
"It could happen to anybody," Meggers said. "It could be the other driver."
Use of in-vehicle technology, a term used by the NTHSA to include navigation systems, phones and PDAs, is only one of type of distraction. Among other distractions reported by Harris polls and insurance surveys is eating or preparing food, applying makeup, reading and reaching for items on the floor.
Drivers lose awareness of their performance of driving tasks when not paying attention to lane position, following distance and what is happening around them.
"I plan on not driving for awhile," Meggers said. "You take your life into your hands just by getting in a car."
Meggers, while driving to class, said she was looking for a song on her mp3 player when she felt her car's airbag deploy. Meggers suffered minor injuries. Meggers' car was not so lucky.
Distracted driving is more dangerous than drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Universtiy of Kansas researchers compared the use of a cell phone while driving to a 0.08 blood alcohol level, the legal limit for drivers in all 50 states.
Drivers using a cell phone, even with a hands-free device, have as much as a 23 percent greater chance of being involved in a crash or near crash according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The risk is even higher for young adults who are 500 - 700 times more likely to be involved in an accident.
"It could happen to anybody," Meggers said. "It could be the other driver."
Use of in-vehicle technology, a term used by the NTHSA to include navigation systems, phones and PDAs, is only one of type of distraction. Among other distractions reported by Harris polls and insurance surveys is eating or preparing food, applying makeup, reading and reaching for items on the floor.
Drivers lose awareness of their performance of driving tasks when not paying attention to lane position, following distance and what is happening around them.
"I plan on not driving for awhile," Meggers said. "You take your life into your hands just by getting in a car."
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