Driving + Texting + Big Mac = Recipe For Accident!

As I was driving back to work today from the lunch hour, I was nearly side swiped by a woman in the lane next to me inside a business district where there are stop lights and crosswalks. I looked over to see her holding a McDonald's Big Mac sandwich in one hand and texting with her thumb on her iPhone with the other hand... her left hand perched on top of the steering wheel with the phone, and her right elbow propped on the steering wheel holding the half-eaten sandwich. I hit my horn, her eyes darted upward, and she moved back into her lane -- without even glancing at me.

Car crashes take over 35,000 lives annually in the United States. When it comes to 'distracted' driving, each day in the U.S. over 8 people are killed and 1,161 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. Distracted driving activities include things like using a cell phone, texting, and eating. Using in-vehicle technologies (such as navigation systems) can also be sources of distraction. While any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others, texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.

There are three main types of distraction while driving:

• Visual: taking your eyes off the road;
• Manual: taking your hands off the wheel; and
• Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving.

According to an AAA poll, 94% of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35% admitted to doing it anyway. 21% of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones. 

I mentioned in my blog post yesterday that when I ran solo across America in 2006 I had to jump 7 times in order to avoid being hit by a car, truck or semi that came onto the shoulder of the road -- and in nearly every instance the driver was distracted. How do I know? Because, I could see them before I jumped! One was on a phone, one was eating, one was putting on makeup, one was reaching down to the floor for something... and so on. If I hadn't been alert, I would have been killed. The instance with the semi was actually one of speed. He was going around a curve too fast and went onto the shoulder, nearly flattening me. I also encountered a driver falling asleep and he was alerted by the rumble strip sound -- and of course I was where the rumble strip was.

Since 2006 there have been many more advancements in technology, including the creation of smart phones. More cars now have built-in dash screens to give an array of information. Distractions while driving have certainly increased in the past ten years, and so have the number of pedestrians being killed by inattentive drivers. When I did my run across America in 2006, the U.S. population was slightly over 298 million. Today, the population is over 324 million. That's an increase of 26 million people in the U.S. in the past ten years. Roads are busier and there are simply more distracted drivers -- accounting for an 11 percent increase in pedestrian deaths since 2006.

In closing this writing I'll give you something to think about. At 55 mph, the average text takes your eyes off the road long enough to cover a football field. Think about that!

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past