The region’s efforts to keep drivers from becoming distracted behind the wheel are steps ahead of some parts of the country, but Virginia needs to bolster its laws on texting, according to a new national safety report.
» Pre-program radio stations and arrange music in easily accessible spots
» Keep stereo volume low enough to hear sirens, horns and screeching tires
» Plan your trip to avoid bad weather and construction zones
» Designate the front-seat passenger as navigator to reduce fumbling with maps or GPS systems
» Avoid eating and drinking, but if you must, make sure all drinks are secure in cup holders
» Teach children to behave in vehicles because tending to them can be dangerous
» Secure your phone so it doesn’t become a projectile during a crash
Source: Governors Highway Safety Association
The findings are part of a Governors Highway Safety Association survey to be released Tuesday detailing how the nation is faring in fighting distracted driving. The report, the first national survey of its kind, found that Maryland, Virginia and the District each had accomplished 11 of the 15 best practices catalogued.
“In general, all three jurisdictions are really ahead of the other states,” said Jonathan Adkins, a spokesman for the Washington nonprofit.
Despite Virginia’s texting ban, filling one of the association’s key criteria, Adkins called the statute weak.
The law, which took effect in July 2009, does not allow police to pull over a driver solely for text messaging. Instead they need a more serious primary offense to justify a traffic stop. “Virginia really should strengthen its texting law,” Adkins said.
The state also does not include distracted driving as a priority in its state highway safety plans, which Adkins called the marching orders for a state. Both Maryland and the District do, the report said.
“The District is doing a pretty darn good job already,” Adkins said. It enacted laws in 2004 banning driving while talking on a cell phone unless drivers are using a hands-free device. He said the District could continue to boost education and enforcement efforts, though.
Maryland, meanwhile, should make distracted driving a required component of drivers’ education courses and use social media to educate drivers about the dangers, he said.
Distracted driving is an emerging issue that policy makers are just starting to document and address, according to the association, similar to the way they dealt with drunken driving 25 years ago. But it goes beyond using a cell phone while driving, and includes other activities that can divert a driver’s full focus from the road such as eating and fumbling with maps or radios.
