Distracted Drivers
Smartphone ownership is growing. In 2011, 52 percent of drivers reported owning a smartphone, and by 2014 that number had grown to 80 percent. The greatest increases in smartphone ownership are among adults age 40 and older. At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010.
Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.
In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in the United States. Ten percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted at the time of the crashes. Drivers in their 20s are 23 percent of drivers in all fatal crashes, but are 27 percent of the distracted drivers and 38 percent of the distracted drivers who were using cell phones in fatal crashes.
The percentage of drivers text-messaging or visibly manipulating handheld devices increased from 1.7 percent in 2013 to 2.2 percent in 2014. Since 2007, young drivers (age 16 to 24) have been observed manipulating electronic devices at higher rates than older drivers. (NHTSA)
In Pennsylvania, distracted driving citations increased by 43 percent statewide between 2014 and 2015 – with more men being cited (67 percent) than women (31 percent). Forty percent of the people cited were in their 20s; 26 percent were in their 30s; 15 percent in their 40s; and, people in their teens and 50s, came in at 7 percent, respectively. In 2015, 60 percent of the citations were issued by local police, and the greatest number of citations are given between 8 a.m. – noon. Not including Philadelphia County, the top five (5) counties with the most distracted driver citations was: (1) Montgomery; (2) Allegheny; (3) York; (4) Bucks; and (5) Chester.
As of June 2012, 39 States have enacted anti-texting laws, and 10 States have passed laws banning all hand-held phone use by drivers.
Pennsylvania law prohibits drivers from: (1) wearing or using headphones or earphones while driving; (2) texting while driving, which includes sending, reading or writing texts or emails while car is in motion. Title 75, sections 1621, 1622, 3316 (texting), and 3314 (headphones). A $50 fine, plus court costs and fees, can be assessed against an individual found to be texting while driving.
West Virginia is one of the few states that have a hand-held cell phone use ban for all drivers. Like many other states, West Virginia prohibits all drivers from texting, and bans novice drivers from all cell phone use. The penalties for distracted driving in West Virginia include a $100 fine for first-time offenders, which increases to $200 for second-time offenders and $300 for third and subsequent offenses. In addition, third and subsequent convictions carry three demerit points against your license.
Ohio law bans all drivers from texting and novice drivers are not allowed to use cell phones behind the wheel. The fine for adult drivers is $150, while novice drivers who violate these laws face a 60-day driver's license suspension, in addition to the $150 fine.
In order to reduce the risk of catastrophic injuries and death, in addition to abiding by the aforesaid laws, please consider completing phone conversations before you start driving your car. If your phone rings while you are driving, and you are unable to pull over and park to answer it, please consider allowing the call go to your voice mail. If everyone followed these few simple rules while driving, thousands of lives would be saved every year.
