What Is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving is when a driver is visually, manually and/or cognitively impaired due to one or more distractions in his or her environment. Many of today's new technologies take a driver's attention off the road and onto a text message, phone conversation, e-mail or even social networking sites. Hand-held devices like cell phones and Mp3 players can be distractions, as can in-car technology and behaviors like fiddling with radio controls, eating and grooming.
Who Is Affected by Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving affects all road users, including drivers, their passengers, and those around them on the road. At any given time during the day, 800,000 vehicles in the United States are being driven by a driver using a hand-held device like a cell phone or Mp3 player. Teenaged drivers are especially at risk for distracted driving. Teens are responsible for the majority of fatal car accidents in Los Angeles and around the country caused by distracted driving.
Who Decides the Penalties for Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving laws are generally determined by states. However, President Obama issued a ban on texting while driving for government employees (while working), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) bans texting while driving for commercial vehicle drivers. Some states, like Hawaii, have no distracted driving laws, while others, like New York, have passed legislation that is quite strict.
What Are California's Distracted Driving Laws and Penalties?
The state of California bans: the use of handheld devices by all drivers, texting while driving by all drivers, and all cell phone use by bus drivers. All of these are primary offenses, meaning if an officer sees a driver using a hand-held device, he or she can pull the driver over for using it.
Teenagers under 18 are banned from all cell phone use while driving, but this is only a secondary offense. This means that a teen driver must make a moving or traffic violation while using a hand-held device to be cited for its use.
The fine for a first violation of any of the above bans is $20. This increases to $50 per violation for subsequent offenses. These fines do not include possible court costs a driver may incur.
Why Is Reducing Distracted Driving So Important?
Distracted driving is dangerous driving. Distracted drivers exhibit similar behaviors as drivers with blood alcohol concentrations of .08, the legal limit. According to the NHTSA and distraction.gov, distracted driving was reported in 20 percent of all injury-causing crashes in 2009. That same year, almost 5,500 people died and over 440,000 were injured in car accidents attributable to distracted driving.
Until drivers understand the serious risks distracted driving poses, they will continue to put themselves and others in danger.
