Focus on road, not gadgets, drivers urged

Chowing down on a burger, reading something on an iPhone, fiddling with compact discs, picking up a rolling soda bottle, comforting a wailing child: they’re all fine things to do, just not while driving. That was the point police and safety experts made Wednesday with a plea for motorists to concentrate on driving.

“We are too smart to be killing ourselves and others by doing what we know is wrong,” said Martha Meade of AAA Mid-Atlantic during a news conference held to mark Virginia’s Distracted Driving Awareness Day (April is also the first-ever National Distracted Driving Awareness Month).

More than 80 percent of those queried in a AAA poll this spring want stricter penalties for distracted driving and more education on the issue, but 44 percent of the group also admits to engaging in the same behaviors.

That describes Sue Nichols, who was outside the Whole Foods in Albemarle County on Wednesday evening.

“I totally think that Virginia should pass a law that says no handheld phones while driving, and I do it, because it’s not a law,” the Albemarle resident said.

At the news conference, Janet Brooking of DRIVE SMART Virginia emphasized that even minor distractions can lead to major — even fatal — accidents.

“This is all down to the choice that someone has made to take their eyes and/or mind off the road,” she said.

According to experts, about four-fifths of all crashes involve distracted drivers.

Consider this

As part of Distracted Driving Awareness Day, AAA Mid-Atlantic cites the following:

Distracted driving may be defined as anything that takes your eyes and/or mind off of the road.

There is no difference in the cognitive distraction between hand-held and hands-free devices. (University of Utah studies)

The Wireless Association reports 270 million cell phone subscribers. l A Nationwide Insurance public opinion poll showed 81 percent of the public admits to talking on a cell phone while driving, which translates to more than 200 million people.

The annual cost of crashes caused by cell phone use is estimated to be $43 billion.(Harvard Center for Risk Analysis)

Talking to a passenger while driving is significantly safer than talking on a cell phone. (University of Utah)

While more than 90 percent of teen drivers say they don’t drink and drive, nine out of 10 say they’ve seen passengers distracting the driver, or drivers using cell phones. (National Teen Driver Survey)

According to a Harris Poll, 57 percent of those surveyed admitted to sending text messages while driving. In the age group of 18 to 34, that number rose to 72 percent.

More than 1 trillion text messages were sent worldwide last year. More than 75 billion messages were sent in June 2008 alone, which is a 160 percent increase over the prior year. (International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry)

As of June 2008, 85 percent of the American population had a wire-less device. (IAWTI)

Minimize distracted driving

AAA Mid-Atlantic offers the following tips for improving attention to driving:

CHANGE YOUR WAYS. Recognize the activities that distract you, such as eating, conversing on the phone or changing a CD, and work to eliminate them.

MAKE A PLAN. Know your route in advance and make sure that you have a good understanding of your directions. Check weather and road conditions. If you are transporting children, make sure they are all properly buckled up and that you have items to keep them occu-pied, such as books on tape or soft toys.

MANAGE YOUR TIME so that you do not have to multi-task or drive aggressively on the road.

DON’T LET YOUR DRIVE TIME BECOME YOUR DOWN TIME. Under-stand that driving is not your “down time” or a time to catch up on phone calls, personal grooming or dining.

SCAN the roadway to make sure that you are aware of others on the road at all times. Be prepared for the unpredictability of others.

CONCENTRATE on driving. Make sure that you are not upset or tired when getting on the road. This is not the time to have a serious or emotional conversation with your passengers.

PULL OVER if you need to do something that will take your eyes and/or mind off the road. Make sure that you find a safe place to pull over first.

REDUCE THE USE. Use technology sensibly.

TAKE A REFRESHER CLASS. Everyone can pick up bad habits through the years. A driver improvement class can raise your awareness and help you assess your driving behaviors.

BUCKLE UP, EVERY TRIP, EVERY TIME. Making sure that everyone is properly buckled up is the best defense against distracted drivers.

Also at the news conference, Albemarle County Police Chief John Miller said that the department will be revamping its policies to minimize the amount of time drivers are on the phone. They’re already prohibited from text messaging and using in-cruiser computers while driving, he said.

While talking on phones and text messaging received plenty of attention (Virginia has banned text messaging at the wheel), speakers also said that other, older-fashioned distractions still pack a punch too.

One driver who occasionally is distracted by things like food and music is Rebekah Ramirez, of Washington, D.C., who had stopped at Wendy’s on U.S. 29 in Albemarle on Wednesday night.

“I’m constantly changing my music,” she said.

She also eats breakfast in the car many days, she said.

Mattie Fuller of Ruckersville said he sometimes engages in distracting behavior without giving it much thought.

“Sometimes you don’t think about it and you do it automatically, almost,” he said.