There is a whole generation of devices already in use that are part of the deadly distracted driving problem, with more on the way.
Smart phones may have Mensa-level brilliance, but they have spawned legions of dummies. So I have a brilliant solution: Bring back John Wayne. Why? Because the Duke, in numerous memorable films, insisted that anyone entering his town check their guns or face jail time – or worse, his every ready Colt.
Forget about gun control. This is about all of those smarties who, as they used to say in my abnormal psych class, are obsessive compulsives. They simply can’t even take a shower without their dandy I-phones or, heaven forbid, they might miss an all-important text, like “hw r ya doin’?”
Therefore, I propose that they check their smart phones before ever entering an automobile. I’ll add that to numerous other venues including restaurants and family dinners, where the only conversation permitted is the incessant clacking of smart phones talking to each other.
I’m not averse to smart phones. In their place they can speed necessary communication, such as in business, or magically get answers to the most obscure information (as if anyone really cares who threw the touchdown pass to Pete Fuchs in the 1929 Rose Bowl game).
But other people’s rights also are involved here. Peace of mind comes to mind when it comes to traffic, the safety of other motorists, pedestrians and fire hydrants.
John Wayne may be gone, but the law is not. Ten states now have outright bans on hand-held cell or smart phones while driving. All other states and the District of Columbia, except Hawaii, Arizona, Florida and Montana (which, incidentally, like some parts of Germany, has no freeway speed limit), have some form of hand-held phone restrictions while driving.
The Feds also are getting involved with distracted driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTA) has issued guidelines that will remain voluntary until April 2016, limiting drivers to just two seconds to look away from the road to use a phone or touch screen.
NHTSA is more generous involving multiple attempts to locate information such as a restaurant or hotel location: 12 seconds two years hence vs. 20 seconds now. “Distracted driving is a deadly epidemic that has devastating consequences on our nation’s roadways,” says Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Based on government data for 2011 (latest available), more than 10% of 32,367 traffic deaths were caused by some form of distraction. Moreover, that was before the explosion in automotive information technology – read chiefly touch screens – and in smart phone usage.
To be sure, not all distraction accidents can be traced to cell/smart phones or touch screens. But it’s potentially a literally lethal combination, which is why every automaker in the world is scrambling to make its infotainment systems safer to use.
Meantime, listen to the Duke: Don’t be a dummy. Check your smart phone at the door before getting behind the wheel – or, for that matter, when interacting with friends and family.
By the way, you won’t find the answer to the Pete Fuchs question on your I-phone, and don’t even try while driving.
<Editor’s note – David C. Smith is Editor-at-Large of Ward’s Auto World>
