Comments on: Distracted driving hits the mainstream: Oprah dives in deep http://t4america.org/blog/2010/01/19/distracted-driving-hits-the-mainstream-oprah-dives-in-deep/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:36:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Broken Sidewalk . Friday News Roundup http://t4america.org/blog/2010/01/19/distracted-driving-hits-the-mainstream-oprah-dives-in-deep/#comment-5891 Broken Sidewalk . Friday News Roundup Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:09:49 +0000 http://t4america.org/?p=5195#comment-5891 [...] Oprah takes crusade against distracted driving mainstream (Fast Lane, T4America) [...] [...] Oprah takes crusade against distracted driving mainstream (Fast Lane, T4America) [...]

]]> By: Frank Warnock http://t4america.org/blog/2010/01/19/distracted-driving-hits-the-mainstream-oprah-dives-in-deep/#comment-4442 Frank Warnock Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:57:05 +0000 http://t4america.org/?p=5195#comment-4442 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 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

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