newjerseynewsroom.com

BY ED FERNANDEZ

COMMENTARY

Let's cut to the chase: driving while distracted kills.

In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, distracted driving took the lives of about 6,000 Americans in 2008 — approximately 16 percent of all automobile fatalities that year. An additional 500,000 people were injured.

Needless to say, this is tragic: No phone call or text message is worth a human life.

Yet, our nation's roads are filled with drivers talking and texting on cell phones. You see it everywhere — in small towns, big cities, and on highways. And this very real, very serious problem is only getting worse as more drivers seek to multitask behind the wheel — a fact that owes itself to our increasingly busy lives and our increasingly frantic lifestyles.

Nonetheless, this still begs the big question: In light of the grim statistics and obvious dangers, why would anyone take such unnecessary risks?

Perhaps people just don't get it. They don't realize the inherent dangers. They don't realize that distracted driving can be more dangerous than drunk driving — that the reaction times are actually worse and the likelihood of an accident surprisingly greater. Simply stated, they don't realize that it can happen to them ... until it is too late.

Fortunately, however, meaningful steps are being taken to confront this tragic trend. President Obama signed an executive order last year prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving government vehicles. The U.S. House of Representatives passed an order banning staff members from texting while driving. And the U.S. Department of Transportation is preparing for its second annual "National Distracted Driving Summit", which will be held in Washington on September 21.

Important steps are also being taken at the state level, too. In fact, over 200 bills have already been proposed to curb distracted driving. Seven states and the District of Columbia have already enacted laws banning "hand held" devices, and thirty states and the District of Columbia have bans on texting behind the wheel.

Here in New Jersey we have one of the nation's toughest laws, and thanks to legislation recently introduced by Senator Richard Codey, it will hopefully get even tougher.

Codey's "three strike" approach would sharpen the teeth of current law by putting in place a graduated fee structure and by effectively saying "enough is enough": The third strike — the third offense — would lead to a 60-day suspension of the person's driver's license.

Granted, like with everything, the "devils in the details," but we should wholeheartedly embrace this concept and move forward fast to put it into effect. We need to underscore the message that distracted driving is wrong and dangerous and must be stopped.

But beyond these government initiatives, we need to call upon people — drivers and passengers alike — to step forward and be part of the solution. Drivers must educate and discipline themselves. Passengers must speak up and take the initiative. And all of us must take greater responsibility and greater care when in a car.

As the statistics make clear, this is increasingly a matter of life and death.

Ed Fernandez is the President and CEO of Palisades, which is a New Jersey car insurance company.

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