On July 1, Californians had better buck up for a hands-free device--or face a $50 fine the first time they're caught using a cell phone while behind the wheel.
California joins several other states, including New York, Washington, D.C., New Jersey and Connecticut in cracking down on driver distractions. Some 23 states have laws prohibiting texting while driving, yet the number of distractions in cars continues to climb.
These laws don't go far enough. Nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes entail some form of driver distraction within three seconds of the event, according to a study from Virginia Tech.
We all know the problem is getting worse. Read after the jump.
Some studies show that the device isn't the problem. The conversation is. And it points up a nettlesome problem for people who believe that laws can resolve the issue. Car electronics grow ever more elaborate--from satellite radio, which keeps a driver's fingers busy surfing through hundreds of channels to GPSs and juke-box instrument panels that provide ever-more information and ever-more options for changing the temperature in one part of the car or the lighting in another.
And it's not just electronics. The drive-through window has turned the American automobile into a commuting dinner table. An estimated 10% to 20% of all meals eaten in the U.S. are in cars. We've all seen people reading or putting on makeup while behind the wheel. We've also seen couples going at it, weaving as they scream at each other (or preoccupied with more amorous business). And the biggest distraction of all is . . . sleep (Toyota and Volvo among other companies have technologies to wake dozing drivers).
Without question, cell phones have become a national menace. But it's naive to believe that laws will have much of an impact on driver distraction. Perhaps we should train drivers by requiring them to pass driving tests while talking on the phone.
