The death of a 40 year old man this week in a traffic accident in La Mesa has once again raised an issue we all know is important but we don’t always act like it.
La Mesa Police say it appears distracted driving was to blame for the head on crash after the man’s car suddenly crossed the center line and hit an SUV head on.
A study done a few months ago by an insurance firm found that while almost everyone agrees that distracted driving is bad, more than half of the drivers who commute every day who were surveyed admit to doing things that can distract their driving.
The study by Esurance took official figures and found that around 10 percent of all traffic fatalities are due to distracted driving. And that’s only accidents in which distracted driving can be proven.
And the amount of distracted driving going on is happening despite laws like the ones here in California and other states that ban the use of handheld cell phones and texting while driving.
And despite the growing hands free technology now in use in vehicles. And despite the technology that’s designed not to allow a driver to use some of it while driving.
So what do we do about it? The study offers recommendations such as put your phone somewhere where you can’t see it, turn off notifications, set your navigation before you start driving and don’t eat, shave or apply make-up while driving. Common sense things they hope more drivers will have the common sense to follow.
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