DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION
On Saturday up on Interstate 93 in
Concord, NH, a one hundred car pile-up resulted in one death and numerous
injuries. There had been snow the night before and temperatures dropped
quickly following the storm, leaving a long swath of highway covered in ice.
This is somewhat of a surprise, given our collective sense that highway
crews give us passable roads and highways in almost any kind of weather. On
the other hand, it is winter and anyone the least bit experienced in New
England weather would know that icy spots on roads are far more common than,
say, UFO sightings.
You would never know it though, in a situation like this, where one pinhead
spins out and causes a massive one hundred car wreck behind him. Different
folks were credited with such brilliant observations as..."I went to hit the
brakes and nothing happened...", or, "my husband and I were just discussing
the notion that we should be slowing down...". As someone who has held a
commercial, ClassA drivers license for 31 years, I have seen it all on the
road, but the situation on our highways is passing the point of being
frustrating entertainment for those of us who are aware of our
responsibilities to others on the road. An accompanying article in our state
newspaper quotes Peter Thomson, head of the New Hampshire Highway Safety
Agency, as saying, "now, we're trying to do multitasking in vehicles. It
boggles my mind." Yours is not the only mind being boggled. In New
Hampshire, distracted drivers now cause more accidents than drunk drivers.
Think about that.
As a licensed pilot, I have experienced real training when it comes to
operating equipment. Many will say that flying an airplane presents a
different set of risks, and this is true, but many more people are exposed
to your skills, or lack of them, when you drive your car, than when I fly an
airplane. It leads to the question of training, which is woefully inadequate
for new drivers, and the feasibility of recurrent training, which is
mandatory for airmen. I see young kids negotiating 75 mile per hour traffic
on three or four lane Interstates that have no business being out there.
They are talking on cell phones, text messaging, consulting on-board GPS and
applying lipstick, all while driving their car. They turn their heads around
to look behind the car for lane changes, unable to utilize their rearview
mirrors. This often results in an unintended turn, or some kind of
directional instability. The interior rearview is often pointed directly at
their face to provide a real-time view of their own head, rather than
traffic behind them.
In the aviation world, much emphasis is put on "situational awareness". This
means knowing what's going on in and around the airplane, listening to
communications to get a mental image of surrounding air traffic, and
monitoring your position in space at all times. This same mindset is
appropriate for driving an automobile in traffic, staying ahead of your
driving situation and looking well down the road to keep a constant running
tab of what is unfolding around you. It is unfortunate that all you need,
really, to get a license is one good eye and a pulse. My children have
received personal instruction from me, beginning at a young age, to instill
safe driving habits. More parents should do this, and some states have
talked about making it law that young drivers spend more time driving with
someone over a certain age before being licensed. The weak link in this
argument is obviously that with so many inept drivers, that in many cases
bad habits will simply be passed from generation to generation with this
mentoring program. It's heart is in the right place, but I see it as
something that would be largely ineffective.
In the end, a complete overhaul of driver education will be necessary as
well as more enforcement of the negligent driving laws. Were there any other
device or activity in this country causing the never ending carnage that
happens everyday on highways all around this country, it would be banned
before sundown. And yet, we continue to tolerate the obscene lack of
qualification for so many people who drive. We have all experienced road
rage on some level, and are probably all guilty of at least one driving
indiscretion. Next time your talking on your cell phone, notice how it
instantly disengages you from the road. Studies have shown that it's not
holding the phone, it's the conversation and the demand on your brain that
causes the distraction. More importantly, there needs to be some outrage
from the people who take it seriously. The thought of my wife and children
being mowed over by some clown who is working his laptop while driving
enrages me. It should enrage you to. We have all heard the mantra about your
vehicle being a dangerous weapon. We need look no further than Saturday's
pile up on I 93 for proof.