==
Bike-Walk Alliance of NH ==
Distracted Drivers, our biggest risk on the road
Think
you can talk or text and drive safely at the same time? Think again!
August 2010 update:
Focus on Distracted
Driving continues with funding expected from the NH Highway Safety Agency to
purchase two portable computerized simulators which should help increase public
awareness of this deadly action. The Injury Prevention unit at Dartmouth is
working with BWA-NH to obtain and use the simulators. When not in use, one will
be stored in Hanover and the second at the BWA-NH Office (SHC-NNE suite) in
Concord for easy access. Funding is expected in early 2011.
May 2010 update:
BWA-NH is working
with the Dartmouth Injury Prevention Center and the NH Highway Safety Agency
to investigate the purchase of one or more distracted driving simulators which
would be shared by multiple agencies and organizations. If the proposed simulator
from Virtual Driver
Interactive is deemed practical, various sources of funding would be sought
to purchase the units. At about $10,000 each, we need to know what we would
be buying and how they would be used in NH to help reduce distracted driving.
April 2010 update:
Distracted driving continues to make headline news around the country. The US House of Representatives passed a resolution on March 23 declaring April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Whether caused by talking or texting on cell phones or other distractions within the car when driving, the resulting crashes are taking a tremendous toll on many people with the most vulnerable road users, bicyclists and pedestrians, always faring the worst.
BWA-NH is investigating the use of a Distracted Driving Simulator which might just make a positive difference here in NH. This product focuses on behaviors and their consequences versus typical driver training simulators. Several organizations are checking out this product from Virtual Driver Interactive which could be used by various groups in different venues. Funding from multiple sources is also being explored. We should know within a few weeks if this idea will gain traction here in NH.
For
more information on actions being taken to combat distracted driving, please
visit the LAB
web site.
March 2010 update:
As if in response to an idea expressed by BWA-NH last month, a new driving simulator is now available to highlight the dangers of distracted driving behaviors and their consequences. Either portable or semi-stationary units can run three different programs depicting "real world" conditions encountered when driving. Two programs focus on skills for new or professional drivers. These have been available for some years and are used in driver training classes and for companies like UPS. The new "One Simple Decision" program of interest to BWA-NH aims at behaviors leading to distracted driving. Taking this unit to the public in places like a shopping mall and promoting it as a "fun experience" could attract more people than offering it strictly as a training device in a classroom setting. BWA-NH is checking into funding for the simulator and for potential use by various agencies and services in NH. For an overview of this product, visit the web site www.driverinteractive.com.
Meanwhile, distracted driving continues to make headlines and even the comics. Here is one which appeared on March 20, 2010:
.
"Close to Home" by John McPherson
You Tube videos and articles on distracted driving:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration video (1m 46s)
A
short video shows even a bicyclist in motion while using a cell phone (47s)
Part
One, the "big picture" (1m 49s)
Part
Two, actual driving test (3m 10s)
UK
video shows simulated crash caused by distracted driving. (4m 45s)
Note:
This video runs about five minutes and it is not pretty!
Summary
of the problem in the United States (6m
2s)
National Safety Council "white paper" on distracted driving
February
2010 update:
On October 15,
a motorist hit and nearly killed Suzanne Kibler-Hacker, a highly experienced
commuter cyclist on her way to work. The Concord Police Department closed the
investigation in December but details have not been made public. An update
appeared in the Concord Monitor on January 8, 2010.
One major question currently remains open: Was the motorist who hit Suzanne
using a cell phone at time of the crash? This question was openly asked in the
Concord Monitor article of October 21. If the motorist were using a cell phone
in any manner (hand-held voice, Bluetooth voice, or texting) the known distraction
factor would certainly be a contributing factor to the crash. Multiple nationwide
studies have proven that using a cell phone while driving effectively impairs
the driver to a level greater than the legal limit for a DWI conviction. That
applies to simple voice calls while, for most users, texting while driving provokes
a higher level of distraction thus an even greater risk to other road users,
bicyclists and pedestrians in particular. Even the comic strips are getting
into the action. Check out this Broom Hilda comic of January 31, 2010:
A new national
organization called FocusDriven highlights
many facts, figures, and details about crashes caused by distracted drivers.
The US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood supports the organization
and their web site www.focusdriven.org.
The National Safety Council is also behind this effort to raise awareness and
to support victims. Info about FocusDriven
was posted by Boston's WCVB Channel 5 on January 12; the
article with reader comments is available here.
Locally, we cannot do anything to make Susanne's injuries less severe or promote
a faster recovery for her, but let's not have another serious crash before learning
if the "distracted driver syndrome" has been investigated and what
can be done to prevent future crashes caused by this issue.
Currently the new NH law banning texting while driving is viewed as a joke by
many NH residents, drivers in many states, and it even made Associated
Press headlines on January 2, 2010. One resident of Warner, NH stated she
has no intention to stop texting while driving, despite the $100 fine she could
receive. Her comment: "I'd better start saving my money."
Unfortunately, so
many people believe they can multi-task so efficiently that driving a car is
nothing more than a "background task" which does not require their
attention 100% of the time. Tests in controlled environments such as using driving
simulators with distractions like cell phone calls and texting have proven otherwise,
again and again. The human brain is much like a computer in that it can seemingly
process multiple tasks at the same time when actually each task is only being
given a percentage of the total brain/computer power available. If, for example,
10% of a motorist's "brain power" is diverted to a cell phone call
or texting when a bicyclist appears within potential crash distance, the cyclist
does not stand a chance. Did this happen in Susanne's case? I don't know, but
it did happen in Hampstead, NH in April 2004. GSW member Bob Weaver was nearly
killed when, on a club ride, he was hit from the rear by a teenager on a straight
country road in broad daylight. Upon stopping after the crash and exiting her
car, the teenager's first words were (as heard by multiple GSW members on that
ride), "But I wasn't even on my cell phone!" Her next action was not
to call "911" but to call Mommy to say "I think I am in trouble."
The investigation by local police did not take any of this into consideration
or the testimony of an EMT who just happened to be driving in the opposite direction
at the time and saw the crash take place. It was only after the then-existent
NH Highway Patrol became involved that the teenager was found guilty of causing
the crash, lost her license for months, and had to pay some stiff fines -- never
mind what the insurance companies had to pay.
.
Bob Weaver's bike after being rear-ended by a cell-phone user
Bottom line, "distracted drivers" seem to be the biggest hazard bicyclists
and motorists encounter on the roads these days. What can we do to address this
issue? Personally, I'd like to see some NH people, namely those who believe
they can multi-task so efficiently that the texting-while-driving ban does not
apply to them, be given public tests in a driving simulator alternately using
and not using a cell phone, voice and/or texting. If given some publicity via
the media, maybe the reasons behind the nearly unenforceable law would make
sense to the present non-believers. None of us want to be "taken out"
by a distracted driver. There are certainly many ways to be distracted other
than cell phone calls and texting but that appears to be a leading factor these
days.
So, what can we as the NH bicycling community do about the current situation?
I'm open for suggestions as are many people in the law enforcement and safety
professions, but let's not wait until another cyclist is severely injured or
killed before taking action. You could be the next victim.
Dave Topham
BWA-NH/GSW Board Member & Co-Founder
LAB Certified Cycling Instructor #39