Motormouth Online

According to the current issue of Car and Driver Magazine, you are more of a danger on the road reading and responding to text messages than driving drunk.

( http://www.caranddriver.com/ )

Hopefully, this will start a discussion about the dangers of driving while distracted. As a former auto insurance professional and a certified driving instructor, I am interested in improving safety on the road. But as a an advocate for personal freedom, I'm concerned about using increasing proliferation of laws to enforce good judgment. We kill about 40,000 Americans each year on our roads in auto accidents. While increased penalties and ever restrictive laws have some positive effects, only internalizing good behavior and judgment will have real benefits. We have seen states pass stronger laws and manufacturers build safer cars, but encouraging good behavior, reducing distractions and public drivers education has taken a back seat in the effort to save lives.

The Car and Driver study is a good step in showing the dangers from distractions and reaction time. I'm not buying the total conclusion yet, but I appreciate the effort. Focusing entirely on reaction times, nothing in this study factors in the reduction of inhabitations that often comes from alcohol consumption. Let's face it drinking often allows one to do things while intoxicated that you wouldn't dream about doing if sober. Often a feeling of invincibility will make a driver take chances that they would normally take. This lack of inhabitation has nothing to do with reaction times, but reduced reaction times make these procedures even more dangerous than ever.

But, cell phone use is just one of the culprits that steal our attention. Eating fast food from drive up windows, drinking coffee, smoking, loud music and even unruly children can present deadly distractions as well. How about a nagging spouse? How can we outlaw this?

How about a return to Drivers Education in our public schools and public service education efforts from the cell phone manufacturers to get serious about saving lives.