No Distractions, Please!

By Author: Norris Rios
Total Articles: 572
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When the Model T first hit the roads, all you had to do was keep the thing pointing in the right direction and, with a following wind, you would usually end up where you wanted to go. Just think about the reality of this. Almost no other traffic on the roads. Nothing to distract you apart from a passenger or two talking to you. It's hardly surprising the accident rates were low. The bigger problem was running out of gas or a mechanical breakdown. When you come forward into this century, the talking passengers have competition. Let's start with the arrival of drive-throughs. You can pick up everything you might want to eat or drink from a burger and fries to a cafe latte. So there you are, juggling with the burger in one hand and the fries lying open on the seat beside you. Thank God for automatic gear boxes. Just one hand on the wheel keeps you on the road. Except how do you pick up one of the fries? Ah, such problems are there to challenge your driving skills. Touch up your make-up. That hair could do with combing.

Now you decide you want to change the radio station. What? Just one of these primitive radios? Surely not. ...
... You've probably got something that plays CDs and does clever digital things. What? You've got your iPod playing. And then your mobile rings. Thank God for bluetooth. Just a quick click to the earpiece and you're off and talking. Except that music is a bit loud. Let's just turn that down. Is that a text message? OK so let's send something back. How do you get one of those smiley things again? Can you check your email while you're traveling? You might be missing something on Facebook or one of the other social networking sites. Well, that's not a problem is it?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently published some alarming statistics showing just how many accidents there are when drivers are distracted. Almost a half-million people were injured in 2009 because the drivers were not paying attention. Focus on the teens and 16% of those killed were distracted, usually talking or texting on the cell phone. Why should we care? Well, the more accidents there are, the more we pay as premiums. That's the way auto insurance works. The more claims, the more the premium rates have to rise to pay them. Interestingly, the Opinion Research Corporation recently published the results of a survey showing 90% of Americans support the idea of a ban on the use of all mobile devices while driving. But the majority of drivers continue to use them. This suggests enforcing the law would be something of a nightmare. Can you imagine the reaction of most drivers if a patrol officer tells them to stop talking on the cell? Obviously whatever is being said is far more important than some law infringing your civil liberties. Yet, without some positive change in culture, the number of accidents is likely to keep on rising. Imagine what will happen if manufacturers fit television screens in the front dashboard. Better still, if there's a DVD player. Auto insurance companies should get together with manufacturers to restrict new technology in vehicles. That way we will all be safer on the roads.