Although I doubt that the majority of my senior readers multitask while driving their cars, everyone should be aware and even alarmed by the recent research which has revealed the dangers of distracted driving.
Since drivers using cellphones are four times as likely to cause a crash as other drivers, you or I could suffer the consequences of someone else’s momentary distraction.
The research also indicates that hands-free devices do not eliminate the risks because the conversation, itself, is a distraction. Some experts feel that a hands-free law actually makes driving riskier by seemingly condoning the practice of calling while driving.
Volunteers driving a simulator were found to become so focused on some conversations that they missed surprises, like another car running a light or a dog appearing at the side of the road. Sending text messages while driving, proved even more difficult and the volunteer slammed into the virtual car in front of her.
The younger generation has become so dependent upon a multiplicity of communication devices (cellphones, laptops, BlackBerries, navigation devices, and MP3 players) that attempting to do without them for even a short period of time is like trying to take a pacifier away from a baby.
Tantrums and outrage and cries of “freedom infringement” ensue. But what is the point of carmakers adding air bags, anti-lock brakes and other safety features, if at the same time they continue to add multimedia systems: audio, video, GPS, audio books and now on the drawing board, a voice command system that will allow drivers to surf the Internet?
Each new device encourages drivers to look away from the road, to momentarily search for a song title or to check for messages or the location of the nearest gas station. Sometimes, one moment of inattention is all it takes and lives are changed, forever.
My father, who had worked for the Pennsylvania traffic department as a young man, was perhaps extra strict. When he finally agreed to teach me to drive, he would not even permit the radio to be playing or any lengthy conversations to take place.
If he were alive today, he would surely be aghast at the numerous common distractions we accept. Only a handful of states have banned the use of cellphones while driving.
One problem is that there isn’t any long-term data on crashes caused by distracted driving. Although cellphone use has increased eightfold from 1995 to 2008 to where it now stands at 270 million, 21 states do not even include a box on accident forms for police to check electronic devices as a cause, and many drivers do not admit to having been on the phone at the time of an accident.
That leaves the fight against car distractions to a small group of people who are aware of the dangers, many who have already lost someone in an accident. The rest of us can push for more laws to ban use of distracting devices while driving or at the very least, encourage our family members to pull over to the side of the road before using anything that could cause them to lose their focus on the task at hand.
And although seniors may not be guilty of using distracting devices, they need to be aware that as they age, their response time has diminished, their eyesight and other faculties, not as keen. The AARP course, 55 Alive, given regularly at most local senior centers, is a helpful way to update your skills. Senior Helpers, a caregiver service, suggests that families hire a part-time caregiver to serve as a driver and companion when they become aware that their elderly loved one can no longer drive safely.
As my Dad often reminded me, “Always remember, Jeanie, when you are driving, a car is like having a lethal weapon in your hands.”
0 Responses:
Post a Comment