By: Zoe Strickland Managing Editor
April is the fourth annual Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Distracted driving in Oregon has been declared an “epidemic” by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Distracted driving involves driving while your attention is diverted elsewhere, and includes but is not limited to: eating or drinking, talking or texting and using navigation devices.
As society makes strides in advancing technology and things like navigation devices become more of a driving staple, the temptation to drive while otherwise engaged can become more enticing. When a person takes their eyes off of the road for a mere five seconds while driving 55 miles per hour, they travel the length of a football field without looking at the road.
Though a distracted driver may only take their eyes off of the road for a short five seconds, a study done by the American Automobile Association Foundation suggests that “distraction ‘latency’ lasts an average of 27 seconds, meaning that, even after drivers put down the phone or stop fiddling with the navigation system, drivers aren’t fully engaged with the driving task.”
“During daylight hours, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cellphones while driving,” reported the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The regular use of cellphones has drastically increased the number of accident-related deaths. End Distracted Driving reported that since 2014, there has been a 14 percent increase in car accident fatalities, which is the largest increase in the past 53 years.
Despite laws against it, “at least every 3 hours someone in Oregon is injured by distracted driving behavior,” reports the ODOT website.
As a state law, Oregon prohibits the use of cellphones while operating a vehicle; except in cases of an emergency. The fine for breaking this law is $142.
Though April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, practicing safe driving habits year-round is essential to the safety of everyone on the road. To learn more about distracted driving and how to help prevent it, visit distracteddriving.gov.
Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu
