Information from the County Attorney's Office
By Steven J. Franzen, Campbell County Attorney
April is national Distracted Driving Awareness month. Distracted driving is simply defined as driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving and significantly increases the chance of a collision.
There are three main types of distracted driving and they are (1) visual, such as taking your eyes off the road; (2) manual, such as taking your hands off the wheel; and (3) cognitive, such as thinking about other things instead of focusing your mind on the task of driving. In many instances, acts of distracted driving simultaneously involve more than one type of distracted driving.
Anything that takes your attention away from driving can be a distraction. These things include: sending a text message, talking on a cell phone, using a navigation system, and eating while driving are a few examples of distracted driving. These distractions can endanger the driver and others. According to the National Safety Council, electronic devices have been a factor in approximately 1.3 million collisions each year.
Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction. Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about 5 seconds, long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 mph. Performing these activities simultaneously is considered “multitasking.” According to the National Safety Council, studies have proven that humans cannot multitask, instead the brain completes multiple tasks in rapid succession. Even the use of “hands free” technology does not decrease the level of distraction when having a conversation on a cell phone according to the National Safety Council.
The National Highway and Safety Administration found that in 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed in crashed involving a distracted driver and another 391,000 people were injured as a result of a distracted driver.
Because of the risk of injury and even death, we all should take precautions to avoid distracted driving. Although all distractions cannot be avoided, distracted driving can mostly be eliminated if every driver makes a concerted effort to minimize distractions while driving.
If you have any topics you would like to have covered in this column, please contact my office by e-mail at countyattorney@campbellcountyky.org, by phone at 859-491-7700 or by regular mail addressed to 319 York Street, Newport, Kentucky 41071.