Transportation secretary: Distracted driving is a ‘recipe for disaster’

A new study states the number of distracted drivers on the Capital Beltway who use their cell phones behind the wheel has increased to dangerous levels.

The report released Monday states 56 percent of Beltway drivers are more than twice as likely to be involved in a crash or have a near-miss crash because they were talking on their cell phone.
AAA Mid-Atlantic and Fluor-Transurban, the company constructing 14 miles of High Occupancy Toll lanes on the Beltway, from Springfield to the Dulles Toll Road, based their report on 1,047 drivers who regularly travel on the Virginia side of the Beltway. One third of drivers questioned say they use their cell phones inside the construction area “most times.”

“The survey results are alarming and confirm what we have long known about traffic safety: When people are behind the wheel, driving should be their first and only interest,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman Lon Anderson.

Anderson appeared on a local television broadcast Monday morning to discuss the report and was later scheduled to appear at a press conference about distracted drivers, with Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce R. Homer.

“Virginia has taken great strides in improving highway safety and reducing the number of traffic fatalities year after year, but distracted driving is reaching a critical level,” said Homer in a press release.

Homer called distracted driving a “recipe for disaster,” one which included not only talking on the phone; but reading, writing and sending text messages through the phone as well.

The survey recorded one in four of those questioned as saying they drive while reading or composing a text message. Those drivers are three times as likely to become involved in a crash or a near miss, according to the report.

While police in Prince William County are regularly called to investigate traffic crashes, they have no way of knowing if a distracted driver is to blame for the crash unless that driver admits to being distracted, said Prince William police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.

No serious crashes resulting from a distracted driver have been recorded recently, but it is a problem the department is aware of.

“We always encourage responsible driving, and for drivers to be mindful of construction zones, other motorists and all of the other hazards that surround them on the road,” said Hernandez.

Virginia recently passed a law making texting while driving a secondary offense, meaning police can charge someone with texting while driving if a police officer observes them for a primary offense, which includes speeding, having defective equipment, possessing expired tags or driving erratically, Hernandez added.

Washington enacted a “hands-free” law in 2004, where police are now required to issue citations for drivers seen talking on their cell phones.

A series of commercials to advertise the message “Orange cones, no phones,” to promote safe driving in the HOT lanes construction area will begin airing on local broadcasts and social networking Web sites.

Educational materials about “Orange cones, no phones” will also be distributed at local schools through the end of fall, according to a Fluor-Transurban press release.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.