A sobering look at the dangers of driving

Two articles caught my eye today, both commenting on different aspects of the risks involved in everyday driving.  The first is from the Sydney Morning Herald in Australia, which reports:

Drivers who don't use their blinkers are more likely to cause an accident than those who are distracted by their mobile phone, a US report has found.

The study, conducted by the US Society of Automotive Engineers, monitored 12,000 instances where drivers should have used their indicators, mainly when changing lanes or turning corners.

It estimates that, while “not every absent turn signal results in a crash", indicator neglect could result in up to 2 million crashes over a 12 month period. In comparison, the US Department of Transportation estimates that 950,000 crashes are the result of "distracted driving", or using your phone to text or talk while moving.

"This is a first of its kind report on a subject that amazingly, has never been studied," says Richard Ponziani, President of RLP Engineering and author of the report.

"The turn signal is one of the very original automotive crash prevention devices and this simple driver to driver communication device remains extremely effective, but only when it is accurately displayed as required by law," he says.

There's more at the link.

The second article is in the form of a news release from Bridgestone.

While America's young drivers are aware of what distracted driving is, they still engage in those behaviors because they believe they are not truly at risk, according to a new nationwide survey commissioned by Bridgestone Americas, Inc.

The tire manufacturer surveyed more than 2,000 drivers ages 15-21. While more than half of the respondents said they believed distracted driving was dangerous, they either don't think they themselves get distracted behind the wheel, or they believe they take extra precautions to avoid distractions while driving.

. . .

Bridgestone surveyed more than 2,000 young drivers, ages 15-21, and found:

• One-third of those surveyed admit to reading text messages while driving;
• Two-thirds of respondents believe they are "very safe" drivers; but only half of them say their parents would agree with that assessment;
• A quarter of those surveyed do not believe that talking on the phone while driving is dangerous;
• Overall, girls engage in distractions behind the wheel far more than boys, and
• Teenagers and young adults say their parents engage in distracted driving more than themselves.

Again, more at the link.

Bridgestone has launched a Teens Drive Smart Video Contest to help improve teenage driving standards.  I'm not a fan of Bridgestone (I can't forget or forgive the company's behavior during the Firestone tire controversy), but I wish them success with this contest.  As my older sister, a very highly qualified nurse and medical administrator, has been known to point out, teens tend to think of themselves as invincible, invulnerable and infertile!  When someone with that attitude gets behind the wheel of a car, problems can arise - as the insurance rates for teenage drivers appear to bear out . . .

Peter