4D COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL May 18, 2016
Biggest danger behind the wheel
Billions of car trips are taken across
North America each year, and though
only a small percentage involve people
driving under the infl uence, even one
impaired driver can cause a great deal of
trouble on the roadways. Drunk, drugged
and distracted driving is responsible for
thousands of fatalities and accidents each
and every year -- with distracted driving
now leading the pack as one of the big-
gest contributors to vehicular fatalities.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving notes
that someone is killed in a drunk driv-
ing crash every 53 minutes in the United
States, while every 90 seconds someone
is injured because of a drunk driver.
Though driving under the infl uence
poses a threat to everyone on the road,
drunk driving is no longer the biggest
risk behind the wheel. Distracted driving
is a growing problem, one spurred on
by the increase of technological gadgets
that take drivers' attention away from the
road.
The National Highway Traffi c Safety
Administration says driving a vehicle
while texting is six times more danger-
ous than driving while intoxicated. The
agency reports that texting while driving
has now replaced drinking while driv-
ing as the leading cause of accidents and
deaths of teenage drivers. But it's not a
problem only reserved for youngsters.
People of all ages admit to texting while
behind the wheel of a car. According to a
Harvard Center for Risk Analysis study,
texting in cars and trucks causes more
than 3,000 deaths and 330,000 injuries
per year.
To illustrate just how dangerous texting
while driving can be in relation to driv-
ing while intoxicated, Car and Driver
Magazine performed an experiment.
During the test, cars were set up with a
red light to alert drivers when to brake.
The magazine tested how long it would
take to hit the brakes when sober, when
legally impaired at a BAC level of .08,
when reading an
e-mail, and when
sending a text. The
results were surpris-
ing. Sober, focused
drivers took an
average of 0.54
seconds to brake.
Legally drunk driv-
ers required four
additional feet to
stop. An additional
36 feet was neces-
sary when read-
ing an e-mail and
an additional 70 feet was needed when
sending a text.
Drivers who text also are more likely to
drift in and out of lanes. A study by the
Transport Research Laboratory in Lon-
don found that reaction times for texting
drivers were 35 percent worse than those
for drivers with no distractions.
Although the proportion of alcohol-
related traffi c crashes has dropped
considerably in recent years, the number
of accidents and fatalities attributed to
causes other than impaired driving have
increased. A survey by Nationwide In-
surance found that 80 percent of drivers
support some type of mobile phone or
texting use restrictions while driving.
HAND OVER
YOUR KEYS.
Hold On to What Matters.
Drinking and driving can take away
everything that matters most to you:
your freedom, your job,
your reputation, your future
and even your life.
Make a commitment to yourself and
others to drive sober this season.
This important reminder is brought to you by:
Cottage Grove Sentinel
116 N. 6th St., • Cottage Grove • 541-942-3325
www.cgsentinel.com
SOUTH LANE
COUNTY
FIRE & RESCUE
The Only Emergency Medical
Transport Service
in South Lane County
We are proud to be a part of the
Every 15 Minutes Program.
:
WARNING
Drinking
and Driving
Can Cause Loss of
License,
Financial Penalty,
Imprisonment,
Serious Injury
and DEATH.
Don’t let prom and graduation time end in disaster.
We urge you to drive safely and responsibly.
COTTAGE GROVE
POLICE DEPARTMENT
400 E. Main St., Cottage Grove
Non-Emergency - 541-942-9145
Call 541-942-4493 for information
FOR EMERGENCY DIAL 911
Serving South Lane County.
www.southlanefi re.org
@southlanefi re
We are proud to participate in the
EVERY 15 MINUTES PROGRAM