'One Text or Call Could Wreck It All' traffic safety campaign being promoted this month

A new traffic campaign with the slogan of "One Text or Call Could Wreck It All" is being sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this month.

April has been designated Distract Driving Awareness Month, with Kentucky law-enforcement agencies committed to spreading the word. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people were killed and another half a million people were hurt in accidents caused by distracted driving, according to national safety administration figures.

The national effort "focuses on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness and education — the same activities that have curbed drunken driving and increased seat belt use," The Courier-Journal reports.

Officials said they want to reach teen drivers especially with the effort, since that group has the highest proportion of distracted drivers who were involved in fatal crashes. (Read more)

Ban texting and cell phone use while driving, National Transportation Safety Board urges

States should prohibit drivers from using cell phones and other portable electronic devices while behind the wheel, except during emergencies, the National Transportation Board said Tuesday. The recommendation was unanimous among the five members of the board, who said it should apply to hands-free and hand-held phones.

"The board made the recommendation in connection with a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year," reports Joan Lowy of The Associated Press. "The board said the initial collision in the accident near Grays Summit, Mo., was caused by the inattention of a 19-year-old pickup driver who sent or received 11 texts in 11 minutes immediately before the crash."

The crash involved the pickup, a tractor truck and two school buses. The driver of the pickup and a 15-year-old student on one of the buses were killed. Thirty-eight others were injured.

Though the board cannot impose restrictions on cell phone use, federal and state lawmakers and regulators take their recommendations very seriously.

Accidents involving texting and cell phone calls are becoming increasingly common. It has even become commonplace for investigators to immediately to look at texting records when launching an accident investigation, Lowy reports.

The board previously recommended that commercial truck drivers and bus drivers be prohibited from texting and talking on cell phones. Texting while driving is forbidden in 35 states, including Kentucky. But about 2 in 10 American drivers, and half of drivers between the ages of 21 and 24, said they have texted or sent an email message while driving, a survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found. (Read more)

National campaign targets distracted driving

With the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, national public-service campaign "Decide to Drive" kicked off this month.

With former boxer Joe Frazier as spokesman, the campaign features a website, as well as posters, postcards and displays for surgeons to use to educate their patients. "The goal is to get people to think before they do something dangerous behind the wheel, such as using a cellphone, sending a text, eating or even reaching for a child's toy," The Courier-Journal's Darla Carter reports.

The undertaking is funded by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Orthopedic surgeons can mend a lot, but "there are some injuries you just can't make normal," said Dr. Marc Zussman, who practices in Rockford, Ill.

In 2009, 5,474 people died nationwide and another 448,000 were hurt in accidents thought to have involved distracted driving. In 2010, more than 54,000 accidents took place in which distracted driving was believed to be a factor. In July, it became illegal to text while driving in Kentucky. Drivers under the age of 18 cannot use cell phones at all while their vehicle is moving. As of January, texting and teen drivers can be stopped and fined for the violations.

To combat the issue, "a change in the entire safety culture is needed," as occurred with seat-belt awareness, said Boyd Sigler, director of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety. (Read more)