Transportation For America » Distracted driving hits the mainstream: Oprah dives in deep

Distracted driving hits the mainstream: Oprah dives in deep

January 19, 2010
By Stephen Lee Davis

In a show that was overwhelmingly informative, shocking and sobering, Oprah Winfrey focused her top-rated talk show yesterday on the epidemic of distracted driving and the preventable injuries and fatalities caused each and every year. Secretary Ray LaHood for one, appreciated the focus on an issue that he’s spent his first year trying to elevate in our national consciousness.

It is fitting that The Oprah Winfrey Show chose the Martin Luther King Day of Service to air its program on distracted driving. Spreading awareness about this deadly epidemic is a huge contribution to the safety of millions of Americans. For that public service, I enthusiastically thank Oprah. And I encourage everyone who didn’t see the show to visit Oprah’s website where you can watch segments of the show, read the transcript, and SIGN THE PLEDGE! Oprah’s online pledge draws a line in the sand that says, “NO! We will not do this anymore.”

The most heart-wrenching part of the show was the “after the show” feature that had relatives of those killed in distracted driving accidents share the names of their loved ones and tell their stories. The first two families to tell their story had relatives killed while walking and biking, respectively.

Is it just me, or does it seem like this show could represent a bit of a tipping point for this issue? Then again, many of the automakers spent the recent Detroit Auto Show rolling out new (dangerous) ways to use phones and the internet while behind the wheel.

What do you think?

Filed under: Campaign Blog
Tags: cars, distracted driving, ray lahood, safety

http://www.bikede.org/ Frank Warnock

This issue should be among T4A’s tops in 2010. All the on-road and parallel bike/ped facilities in the world are a complete waste of money until this is seriously dealt with (see Utah). No one will put a foot or wheel near the road with drivers so distracted – and at least half are at any given time now. Motorists are driving with their eyes off the road for avg 4-5 second intervals as they engage in text messaging, dialing, emailing, whatever – enough to travel the length of a football field under normal highway speeds. It is most prevalent among teens, the least experienced to begin with. Though most have a hand in it, the majority believe they can do it safely as opposed to everyone else. That the Fed on down (most states) let this go on unabated is criminally and morally repugnant.

I commute to work by bicycle every day. I see the erratic movements of distracted drivers, at times weaving in and out of wide shoulders, often a cyclists only refuge. We have had a number of cyclists injured and killed, more than the average in 2009; I too would be dead had it not been for my eyeglass mirror. Stop this profiteering at the expense of people’s lives. People cannot operate computers, phones, etc. and drive safely at the same time. If Mr. Lahood isn’t already bribed, he needs to step in immediately and stop the auto industry’s deal with Intel. Having internet on the dashboard has got to be the most insane thing to happen on America’s highways since their inception, and a lot of us are going to die as a result. T4America, make this a primary campaign issue for the 2010.

Frank Warnock
President, Bike Delaware
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BrokenSidewalk/~3/JH0czRaDggM/ Broken Sidewalk . Friday News Roundup

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