One effect of distracted driving you may not have thought of

The risks of distracted driving due to handheld cell phone use are well known. Unfortunately, nay, tragically, it seems that most drivers don't care, as the problem persists day after day on American roads. The "it will never happen to me" attitude (as popular as the act of texting itself) toward collisions flies in the face of a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study, which shows:

“Crashes in which at least one driver was identified as being distracted resulted in 3,267 fatalities, 735,000 nonfatal injuries and damaged 3.3 million vehicles in property-damage-only crashes in 2010.”*

Not only is it risky (and annoying to other drivers) to text while driving, it is hazardous in a way that doesn't occur to the average driver.

How? Consider this scenario: you are an ambulance driver responding to an emergency call from the parents of a child who has fallen from a tree and is unconscious. You hop in the ambulance and turn on the lights and siren, and begin navigating through traffic. But instead of drivers pulling over to the side of the road as soon as they see you coming in their rearview mirrors to clear the way, cars drift from lane to lane, remain stopped at green lights, and repeatedly speed up and then slow down as their "drivers" idly swipe and type on glowing smartphones, maybe taking the occasional glance at the road to make sure their two tons of glass and steel are still generally heading in the right direction.

Imagine the frustration in this urgent moment where every second counts, as the oblivious drivers of the vehicles around you prioritize mindless text chatter over your quickest possible reaction to another person in danger. Now imagine the individual in peril, waiting for aid in a situation where life or death may be the difference of a few seconds. This scenario is not merely hypothetical: it is the reality for every emergency responder on the roads today.

In a recent article on this very topic from a Florida news outlet, an emergency vehicle driver said the following of these unwitting or even intentional impediments to first responders: “They hold us up. We have to check, check, check. (Some) drivers don't care because it's not their emergency. A lot of them are on cellphones,” said David Osteen, a 16-year Ocala Fire and Rescue veteran. “The driving has gotten worse.”**

The call to action: whenever you’re driving, regardless of the laws about texting/talking on the phone while driving in your state, pay attention for emergency vehicles and get out of their way so they may attend to an emergency. For someone else in your area, it may be the difference between life and death. And for those of you who choose to continue to text while driving, it’s likely you face the same dichotomy.

Want to do something about texting and driving for your family, business, or community? Check out ORIGOSafe™, a solution that removes the phone from the driver's hands while still allowing connectivity and productivity through the phone.

*From International Business Times ibtimes.com

"A Scary Number Of People Are Killed Each Year By Distracted Drivers"

By Greg Mocroft  

Published:  May 31 2014 9:55 AM

**From Ocala Star Banner, Ocala.com

“Distracted drivers frustrate emergency responders”

By Andy Fillmore

Published: Monday, June 2, 2014 at 9:36 p.m.