Dangers of Distracted Drivers

Slow Down Move Over Efforts Need Even More Attention

By Brian J. Riker

It is no secret that our roadways are a dangerous place to be while driving, let alone when you must exit the relative safety of your tow vehicle and work alongside the roadway. These dangers manifest themselves annually in countless near-misses and thousands of senseless, tragic and avoidable deaths.

Roadway deaths and injuries resulting from struck-by incidents are not just issues for the towing and emergency-responder community. Many regular motorists are also struck and injured or killed while stopped along the roadway for a variety of reasons, including attending to their own disabled vehicle. Some reports put this number well into the thousands, however, as with responder incidents, accurate numbers are unknown or difficult to obtain.

Conference Takeaways

During one of the breaks between sessions at the recent Move Over/Distracted Driving Conference: A Unified Approach to Driving Change on the Roadway, presented by the Eastern Transportation Coalition, one point shared was the level of arrogance shown by many motorists. What struck us was how few drivers on the road today have had any formal driver’s education, and how many view operating a vehicle as secondary to other tasks (e.g., texting or cell phone conversations). This discussion reminded me of many close calls, that could have ended in tragedy had I not been paying attention.

Driver inattention is the root cause of most struckby incidents and indicates a general disregard for anyone’s personal safety by the motoring public. It’s likely brought on by a false sense of security or overconfidence in one’s own abilities as a driver, combined with a lack of understanding of the actual risks presented by distracted, drugged, drunk, drowsy or any of the other forms of “D driving” that are prevalent today.

Ominous Stats

During a recent road trip, I counted more than a dozen times that motorists failed to slow down or move over when they could have, and this count included one tow truck and two vehicles displaying volunteer fire fighter identification. After this road trip, I pondered about the current state of driver education and behaviors not only from the general population but those of “professionals,”—or at least alleged professionals.

From the vantage point of the large commercial vehicle that I was driving, I could see into most of the other vehicles on the road. This perspective allowed me to see hundreds of people doing a variety of tasks other than driving, including one vehicle with a man typing on a laptop computer while passing me at 70+ mph. He wasn’t a police officer or other official (not that being a governmental official makes it any less dangerous; only makes it legal) but rather, he was a business rep for a nationally branded company vehicle.

Driver inattention is the root cause of most struck-by incidents, so displaying a bright, clear directional message, such as on this SafeAll Traffic Commander, could reduce roadside hazards.

Even top professional drivers, meaning commercial driver license (CDL) holders operating large commercial vehicles, were not focused on driving. Mere minutes apart, I had two tractor trailer drivers cross into my lane as I was overtaking them on the left, and both times they had a cell phone in their hands. Operating a handheld device is nationally prohibited by Federal regulation, and a conviction under this Federal Code can result in a fine as high as $2,750 to the driver, and $11,000 to the trucking company!

LEGISLATING MORALITY?

These incidents are all proof that stiffer penalties for violations does nothing to deter most people. For CDL holders, this is a serious traffic offense that can lead to a suspension of your CDL and is an offense that results in termination of employment at most trucking companies. Penalties don’t get much higher than one that will take away your livelihood, yet I spotted no less than two dozen truckers during my trip texting while driving. Clearly laws and regulations alone will not protect us!

We all want to go home at the end of the day and are aware of the dangers faced daily in our chosen profession. These are indisputable facts. So why is it that I see questionable, even deadly behaviors daily? So, what can we do to protect ourselves? Besides remaining alert and assuming that the other motorists do not see us.