"Calling" All Drivers
Thursday April 15, 2010
Dr. Louis Francescutti

How was your commute today? Did you notice the man, woman or teen behind the wheel eating a bagel and drinking coffee with their hands; using their shoulder to hold their phone and their knees to steer? Alberta is quickly becoming a province being recognized, not for its success, but for having some of the most dangerous and reckless drivers in the world. The real danger is that we, as citizens, have become habituated to it. Every week, 9 Albertans are killed in motor vehicle collisions. We refuse to let our children be exposed to second hand smoke, yet we are willing to let them play on the streets where they are exposed to bigger threats – distracted drivers. Everyone has, at one point, seen at least one person on the phone during their commute, either texting or talking, while they drive. If you follow them long enough, they are likely going to make a mistake. It may not be as catastrophic as a four-car pile-up, but it is nonetheless, a large amount of time where that driver has NO IDEA what is going on right in front of them – Do you feel safe with that person on the road? One of the leading causes of unintentional deaths in Alberta is due to motor vehicle collisions and of these, 80% is caused by distracted drivers. Statistics show that if you talk on the phone while driving, you reaction time is decreased by 18%, and you are four to six times more likely to be involved in a collision. That means you may be more impaired than a legally intoxicated driver! Want more stats? Well, here’s the shocker: if you text while driving, the risk of collision increases by twenty-three times! One of the scariest facts of all is, in the five seconds you take to look at a text on your phone, you could have travelled the length of a football field.

Countless Albertans drive their vehicles while talking on their company phones because they feel it is an obligation and a necessity as an employee. The Coalition for Cellphone Free Driving has laboured for nearly five years, lobbying employers to break this frame of mind and safeguard their employees, or face serious legal consequences. It is in the best interest of employers to ensure that their employees are not involved in collisions due to cell phone use while on company time. There have been cases in the United States where companies have been slapped with multi-million-dollar lawsuits for the fault of cell phone use while driving related collisions. In 2005, the Coalition took it upon themselves to convince companies around Alberta to adopt a policy that would restrict employees from using cell phones, both hand-held and hands-free. In their most recent meeting, Aegis Mobility demonstrated the latest product in driver safety called DriveAssist. This software detects when an individual is driving, re-routes inbound calls to a message indicating that the person trying to be reached is driving and informing the caller that their call will soon be returned; thus eliminating the reaction to answer a call. However, the message of safer roads is not exclusive to Alberta or Canada for that matter. Talk show host and Television Queen Oprah Winfrey has urged her viewers to pledge their car as a “No Phone Zone”. With companies like Aegis Mobility, The Coalition for Cellphone Free Driving is growing in size, and to date has over 50 members, all with the same intentions, to “cure collisions”.

Currently, provincial governments across Canada are taking steps to ensure the safety of their citizens; however the steps they have been taking are not the most effective. There is a common misconception that using hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth headsets or onboard calling systems eliminate the dangers associated with cell phone use while driving. Unfortunately, governments across the nation have bought into this misconception and have implemented policies that ban the use of handheld devices while operating a vehicle. Although the right idea has been put into place, they have not gone far enough as they have not banned hands-free. Studies have shown that there is no benefit to using a hands-free device in place of a handheld device because it is the conversation that is the distraction. Many may refute this argument by saying “Well, what about a passenger? If I am talking to a passenger in my car while I am driving, isn’t that conversation a distraction too?” The answer is a simple “No”. If a passenger is in the car, they are aware of what is going on around them; therefore if, for example, the weather suddenly turns poor, they will abruptly end the conversation or, in some cases, even help the driver. This cannot be done if an individual is on the other side of a phone call. Implementing a policy strictly on handheld devices will not reduce the danger, and in fact, gives people a false sense of security. If the provincial government really has any interest in making Alberta roads safer for its citizens, then they will ensure that legislation is put in place to ban cell phone use, both handheld and hands-free.

We as a society have this tendency to separate ourselves from the notion that a vehicle is the most dangerous thing on the road. We assume that we as humans have an amazing ability to eat, drink, text and talk while driving. We fail to realize that at any moment, even for the one minute phone call reminding you to pick up the milk, could change your life forever. Whether it is a necessity, fad or an obsession, it is a distraction when used while driving. What call is worth a life?

For further information visit: www.cellphonefreedriving.ca or contact us at 780 492-5775.

-- Abhaya Prasad and Dr. Louis H Francescutti

Column ID#: 126

**Opinions expressed by guest columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Connect2Edmonton members, partners or sponsors.**

discuss