Distracted driving a major problem

New research was released last week that may help Illinois lawmakers who want to study the issue of distracted drivers or pass even more legislation aimed at stopping the dangerous habit.

Unfortunately, the information could have been released six years ago and perhaps sped up action throughout the country to curb the use of cell phones while driving.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates driver distraction contributes to about 25 percent of all crashes. The New York Times reported that fears of angering Congress led the federal agency to quash research and warnings about the connection between crashes and using cell phones. A letter to governors was suppressed and never sent that recommended drivers avoid using phones and hand-held devices except in emergencies.

One study, according to the Daily Herald's transportation writer Marni Pyke, showed a 50 percent increase - from 4 percent to 6 percent - of motorists using cell phones between 2000 and 2002. The New York Times reported that the quashed information included estimates that drivers on cell phones caused 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents in 2002.

All those numbers surely have gone up since then as drivers routinely call and text while driving in addition to being distracted by myriad other reasons - the radio, passengers, eating.

The Itasca-based National Safety Council has pushed since January for a ban on cell phone use while driving. In 2005, Chicago banned driving while using a cell phone without a hands-free device. Results since then are mixed. ABC 7 anchor Ron Magers reported in June that Chicago police issued 10,000 tickets in 2008 compared to a high of 17,000 in 2007. Some officials, Magers reported, believe the numbers came down because enforcement was lax.

We supported a bill passed this spring by the Illinois Legislature that bans texting while driving and we urge Gov. Patrick Quinn to sign it soon. We also believe that distracted driving has become so common that it likely will take efforts like those of groups years ago which took on drunken driving to make our roads safer.

Legislation is likely to be introduced again by state Rep. William Black, a Danville Republican, that would create a misdemeanor category for negligent vehicular homicide. It could result in a prison term of one year and a maximum fine of $2,500. Pyke reported that Black pushed for the bill after a 25-year-old bicyclist was killed in Urbana by a driver who went off the road while downloading ring tones on her cell phone. She was only charged with improper lane usage.

We would support such a bill and we also support Secretary of State Jesse White's call for a two-year study into distracted driving.

Finally, just as we did a few months ago, we urge all drivers, regardless of what the law requires, to take responsibility for your actions and keep your eyes and your concentration on the road.