The Galveston accident lawyers at Denena & Points note that Reuters reported recently that the U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, has called on the government to pass a federal law that would ban talking or texting on a cell phone while driving any type of vehicle on any roadway in the United States. Secretary LaHood believes that this comprehensive ban is the only way to address what he called a “national epidemic” of distracted driving. Mr. LaHood was speaking at the distracted driving summit conference that was held earlier this month in San Antonio, Texas.
Our Galveston accident lawyers ask why no one seems able to solve a problem anymore without resorting to draconian, zero-tolerance solutions that might create nearly as many problems as they prevent?
The U.S. NHTSA attributes approximately 3,000 of last year’s roughly 30,000 fatal traffic accidents to distracted driving. Safety advocates maintain that using a cell phone can delay your reaction time in traffic as much as a blood alcohol level of .08% (the legal limit for alcohol in the body).
The president of the National Motorists’ Association, Gary Biller, states that Secretary LaHood’s drastic proposal isn’t necessary. Biller maintains that existing laws against distracted driving already serve the purpose that Mr. LaHood’s proposed ban would serve. All U.S. states have some laws governing inattentive driving; 38 of these states also have laws specifically restricting the use of electronic devices while driving. Biller says that investing the money into string educational campaigns to discourage distracted driving would be more effective.
And al drivers are probably aware that their distractions on the road are by no means limited to talking or texting on a cell phone. Changing the music in your vehicle, checking directions to a destination, dealing with chatty or unruly passengers, having a snack, spilling a soda, or having a striking billboard or particularly questionable yard art catch your attention could all take your attention from the road at a critical moment. People were having wrecks caused by distracted driving long before cell phones were invented.
Secretary LaHood said that his department is looking into the effect of hands-free devices on driver performance behind the wheel. In the opinion of our Galveston accident lawyers, the government can pass all the laws it likes regarding driver attentiveness to the road. But in a society governed by fast paced changes, increasing demands on one’s times, decreasing attention spans, and a media that thrives on spectacular bursts of sound and images that “pop,” our Galveston accident lawyers realize that distracted driving probably can’t be effectively prevented or outlawed.