We're driving ourselves distracted

I was driving in my car, beep, beep, obeying the law sure is neat, when (just like the Gerber jingle) someone rear-ended me.

Not just anyone but an attorney driving the world's largest Range Rover, which chewed up and spit out the rear bumper on the 2000 Honda Civic hatchback. If this wasn't irritating enough, Mr. Wingtip apologized, then said he couldn't stick around for the police because he had to "go to a meeting."

Now, no one was hurt and his insurance covers the $1,033 repair bill, so life goes on.*

But Wingtip's explanation for the collision - he was looking away and thought I'd made my right turn - provided at least one good thing to pull from the wreckage of the Honda. Column material.

How often do crashes happen because of distracted driving?

Plenty, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Researchers kept tabs on the drivers of 100 vehicles for more than a year to see what caused accidents. The 241 drivers got into 82 crashes and 761 near-crashes.

Turns out nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes occurred because the driver wasn't paying attention within 3 seconds of impact.

Fatigue, not looking at the road, talking on cell phones, and reaching for objects all were factors.

On Jan. 12, the Itasca-based National Safety Council called for a ban on using cell phones and messaging devices while driving.

The council cited a Harvard study indicating that cell phone use at the wheel contributes to 6 percent of crashes, which equals 636,000 accidents, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths a year.

As I read those statistics, a movie was rewinding in my head. It showed me talking on the cell, looking at a map, trying to subdue the dog, eating lunch, programming the radio (the list goes on) while driving, and obviously I'm not alone.

So what's our problem?

"I think we overestimate our capabilities," NSC executive director of communications John Ulczycki said. "Driving is a complex task. You may have done it for years but it doesn't mean you're capable of doing it with multiple distractions.

And with repetition comes overconfidence.

"We can do the same thing over and over again and nothing bad happens," Ulczycki said. "It doesn't mean we're safe drivers, it means we're lucky. But the science is clear - it's high-risk."

Ulczycki says the safety council's bid to keep cell phones out of drivers' hands is in its infancy. But he believes the tide will turn just as it did with issues such as smoking or drunken driving.

"We need to change that social norm," he said.

Skeptical? Here's a few more factoids.

• Reaching for a moving object increases your risk of a crash or near-crash nine times. Reading something exacerbates the risk three times. Applying makeup boosts the odds three times.

• In rear-end collisions, not paying attention was a contributing factor 93 percent of the time according to the Virginia Tech study.

• Drowsy driving contributes to 20 percent of crashes.

• There are about 270 million registered cell phone users in the United States and 80 percent admit to driving and using the cell phone.

• The younger you are, the more likely you are to get into a crash caused by inattention.

Already 17 states have outlawed teenagers from talking on cell phones while at the wheel and a number have a similar ban for school bus drivers. Chicago prohibits any driver from talking on a cell phone unless it's hands free.

"What's good for school bus drivers should be good for us," Ulczycki said.

Are you in good hands?

I also took the opportunity to brush up on the "what to do when you're in a fender-bender" protocol. According to the Illinois Insurance Association, both Mr. Wingtip and I goofed up during our encounter.

For starters, it's best to call the police and get them out to the scene, instead of going to the station, so I should have forced the issue.

And although it's human nature, the association says "don't apologize or admit fault for the accident," which he did.

Want more advice? Check out illinoisinsurance.org, click on the Consumers tab, then go to Auto.

*(I'd love to know why it costs $29 for bumper cover clips? Are they dipped in gold? Do investment bankers or auto executives manufacture them?)

Incoming

• Ever cursed the fact you can't get a decent cup of tea at O'Hare International Airport? Well, buck up old chap, because Argo Tea now is brewing cuppas at Terminal 3, near Gate H1.

• Pace is scheduling public hearings on proposed changes to bus routes in Will and southern Cook counties this March. Details to follow.