New evidence shows distraction danger

Last month, the three-day interruption of Blackberry services led to an unanticipated consequence halfway around the world. In Dubai, traffic accidents fell 20 percent on those days. In Abu Dhabi, accidents fell 40 percent and there were no fatal crashes. Police officials linked this dramatic fall in traffic accidents to the fact that Blackberry services were unavailable to drivers and others.

For the past year, the Illinois tollway has been leading a statewide campaign to encourage motorists to “Drive Now. Text Later.” Our efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of texting while driving and, ultimately, reduce the number of cellphone-related crashes have gained support from municipalities, local police departments, high schools, colleges and local businesses to help spread the word. The Blackberry outage illustrates how our roads can be safer when drivers aren’t being distracted by electronic devices.

Kristi Lafleur

Executive director

Illinois Tollway