A local story has underscored the danger, as well as the heartbreak, of driving while distracted. Not only is this a critical safety issue:  it is increasingly becoming the cause of vehicular manslaughter.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines distracted driving as any activity that diverts attention from safe driving. According to their website, https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving, distracted driving is defined as:

What Is Distracted Driving?

Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system, anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.

 Other distracting activities include:

  • Using a cell phone
  • Eating and drinking
  • Talking to passengers
  • Reading, including maps
  • Using a PDA or navigation system
  • Watching a video
  • Changing the radio station, CD, or Mp3 player.

Even more alarming are the following statistics on https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving:

  • Nationally, 3308 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2022.
  • In California, there were 148 people killed in distracted driving traffic crashes in 2022.
  • Distracted driving fatalities decreased nationally by 6.4 percent between 2021 and 2022.
  • Distracted driving fatalities decreased in California 5.1 percent between 2021 and 2022.
  • Motorists aged 16-24, saw an increase of 1.1 percent in 2021 of drivers holding their phones to their ears while driving.

The National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) 2022 observed three prominent types of electronic device use while driving. These include “holding phones to their ears”, “speaking with visible headsets on”, and “visibly manipulating handheld devices”.

Bottom line:  it’s Driver’s Ed 101.  Keep both eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel.  It will keep you safe, and out of jail.