By Phil Romba
If Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute (VTTI) had its way, sending text messages while driving would be outlawed across the country. That’s a conclusion from a study it released in late July that considered how talking on a cell phone and sending text messages affected driving a heavy truck.
Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have laws or will soon enact measures that outlaw the practice of sending text messages while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
The research from VTTI in Blacksburg, Virg., is the latest data to confirm what common sense tells me: dialing a cell phone and sending a text message while driving are dangerous. Yes, I’m guilty of dialing, talking and listening. But I haven’t and don’t send text messages while behind the wheel.
Driver distraction is a genuine problem for everyone behind the wheel and on the road, not just truckers. But when truck drivers get distracted from driving, the consequences can be far more devastating than when four-wheel drivers take their eyes of the road and hands off the wheel. VTTI also studied four-wheelers and found the same applies to them.
Using video cameras and in-cab sensors, researchers tracked drivers' behavior to learn how much time they spent operating cell phones or conversing on them. They then assessed how much more likely drivers were to have a crash or to narrowly miss one when using the phone.
VTTI's research showed that sending a text message causes drivers to take their eyes off the road for the longest time, compared to dialing or answering a call. When sending a text message, drivers drove blindly for 4.6 seconds over a span of six seconds. During those 4.6 seconds at 55 mph, truckers traveled the length of a football field (100 yards). That’s plenty of time for something to go wrong.
Researchers concluded that sending a text message increased the chance a driver would have a crash by more than 23 times (23.2). Using or reaching for an electronic device increased the risk of a crash by 6.7 times. Dialing a cell phone increased the chance of crashing 5.9 times. And carrying on a conversation on a cell phone increased the risk of crashing by 1.0 times.
The 2009 research from VTTI follows a 2006 study conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The earlier study found that nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the crash.
It's difficult to argue with statistics showing an overwhelming connection between doing something other than driving and crashes. It's just common sense.
