Last month, Volkswagen played a commercial for moviegoers at MLC Cinema in Hong Kong and secretly filmed their reaction. The commercial featured a first-person perspective of somebody getting into their car and driving. After several seconds the audience became bored. Suddenly, cell phones began to beep and vibrate across the theater and people pulled their phones out of their pockets and purses. Then a loud crash occurred and the audience jumped, startled. On screen, the car was wrecked.
Volkswagen’s video experiment, “Eyes on the Road,” which can be viewed on YouTube, illustrates the dangers of distracted driving.
“It’s a serious problem everywhere,” said Technical Trooper Rick Wingate, public resource officer for the Kansas Highway Patrol.
KHP is currently conducting a texting enforcement initiative to cite drivers caught texting while driving. The initiative began Tuesday and will run through July 10. This is the second time for the KHP check, Wingate said. Timing it for the Fourth of July is because more people are on the road traveling during the holiday and they want to keep the roads safer.
“There are studies done by professionals…that have determined that texting is as dangerous as driving while under the influence of alcohol,” Wingate said.
KHP has invited local law enforcement across the state to participate in the initiative. Wingate’s area, Troop H, covers 16 counties, including Allen County and Iola.
“We do watch out for texting and driving and have some education in schools,” said Iola Police Chief Jared Warner.
Warner said distracted driving is not limited to texting.
“Anything that can take your attention off the task of driving could be distracting,” he said. “A lot of times it’s reaching for something in the vehicle.”
Wingate added distracted driving can cover a lot of everyday tasks that are easy to become part of a routine, such as eating or drinking, putting a CD in the player, or grooming. Wingate said he sees a lot of people who shave in the car on their way to work or put on makeup.
The result of being distracted on the road can be disastrous. In 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 18 percent of fatal crashes were caused by distracted driving — that’s 3,092 people. Another 416,000 people were injured. The highest number of fatalities were from teenagers and 20-somethings, but according to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, 10 percent of parents of teens admitted having multi-text message conversations while driving.
While KHP troopers and other law enforcement officers will take extra care to look out for distracted drivers, Kansas law prohibits texting while driving. Wingate said the fine is $60, plus court costs.
Only 13 states require the use of a headset or Bluetooth, and Kansas is not among them. Handheld use of a cell phone is permitted, except in cities that have specific ordinances, such as Manhattan. However, both Wingate and Warner said they would strongly discourage people from using their phones at all while driving.
“All it takes is a second or two to potentially have an accident,” Warner said.
Kansas law bans text messaging and all cell phone use for novice drivers with a learner’s permit and school bus drivers. For more information on state laws for cell phone usage while driving, visit the Governors Highway Safety Association website at www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.
Officers spell out texting and driving dangers
