GHSA Study Findings on Distracted Driving
Negligence on the road is not only taking your hands off the steering wheel but also being unaware or careless about potentially harmful outcomes. GHSA defines Distracted Driving as any non driving activity a person engages in which distracts the person from the primary focus of driving and increases the risk of crash.
Distracted driving can lead to fatal accidents and it can harm the driver, passengers, other drivers and pedestrians on the road. Distracted driving results from seemingly little but evidently dangerous causes; use of cell phones, texting, excessive conversation with other passengers and changing the radio station are some of the main culprits.
U.S. Department of Transportation is progressively trying to end the practice of distracted driving on nation’s roadways. The message given to the drivers is simple –phone conversations should be avoided completely, even with a hands-free. Texting is banned while driving in 30 states, including D.C.  And Guam as it takes away the concentration of drivers. Such accidents are a large part of distracted driving issues.
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) completed a research about distracted driving. This research on distracted driving presents some astonishing facts. 20 percent crashes in 2009 were due to some or the other distraction when handling the wheels. The problem lies in the fact that while talking on cell phone, the driver’s reaction time is delayed, equivalent to having 0.08 percent alcohol in blood stream. Moreover, 40 % of the concentration is decreased while using cell phones. 15 percent and 25 percent of all car collision are linked with distracted driving. These lead to major crashes, injuries and deaths. Alcohol related accidents among teenagers have dropped but distracted driving fatalities have remained unchanged.
Laws banning drivers from using the cell phones while driving have been limited earlier, but increasingly reviewed now. It is nearly impossible to have a continuous reminder for not using the cell phone while driving but a few sign boards can help remind drivers of rules and significance of safety on the roads. Effective no cell phone signs, no texting while driving signs, and other road awareness signs at the right places will always help avert disasters.
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