Drivers Aren't The Only Ones Who Are Tuned Out

Yesterday afternoon I posted my account of a spaced out driving student. Last night Chicago's ABC7 ran a feature on distracted pedestrians. Coincidence? Or are we just both impressed by a problem of epic proportions?

ABC7 noted in its report Tuned Out, that 4500 people were struck by vehicles in Chicago last year. Police say there is no telling how many of them were using iPods, Blackberrys or cell phones at the time -- but safety experts warn that too many people are "tuned out" on bustling crosswalks.

In just one afternoon, ABC7 saw hundreds of people who were "tuned out" at intersections with PDAs, mp3's and cell phones. ABC7 found one woman ignoring a "don't walk" sign as she crossed Michigan Avenue on her cell phone.

Two people listening to headphones at intersections recently died in New York City, so one New York state lawmaker is proposing a law to fine pedestrians $100 for crossing streets while on a cell phone, PDA or mp3.

Personally, I don't think we need any more laws limiting our freedoms. If people want to walk around in a daze that's their prerogative. Don't pass any laws banning electronic devices or fining the users. Let the law of natural selection take over.

However, I would propose legislation that would absolve drivers of any fault should they strike pedestrians who committed unsafe actions while engrossed in the operation of electronic devices.

#1 Driver Error

Recently, I've been working with an eighteen year old student. Here in Illinois she is considered an adult and therefore no longer needs to take formal instruction to qualify for a driver's license.

Nevertheless, she hired me to instruct her as she had already failed the state's road test twice and wanted to figure out what she was doing wrong.

I asked her why she had not passed the road tests, and she explained that a car approaching from the right had nearly smashed into her and the examiner as she was attempting a left turn to leave the test station parking lot.

"Did you see that car coming?"

"No, I looked that way once. Nothing was there so I moved out, and then all of the sudden it came around the corner and nearly nailed us!"

"Oh. Why did you fail the second time?"

"I forgot to check my blind spot before making a lane change."

So we immediately went to work on observing intersections, using proper head and eye movements when taking turns, and of course lane changing drills so she would get in the habit of looking into those blind spots.

We also went over the road test events so she could execute all maneuvers with confidence when the time came. I worked with her once a week for four weeks. During those sessions she never had any problem in physically maneuvering the car.

However, she had a tendency to "zone out" after conquering whatever we had set out to accomplish for the day. Whenever the stress or novelty of the situation disappeared, the mental errors would manifest themselves in various ways. She would try to pull away from the curb without checking her left mirror or blind spot. She would have run through several stop signs had I not intervened.

"What's the problem? Tired?"

"No I'm just spacing out. I do that alot. How do I fix that?"

I did not have a ready answer for her outside of telling her to just stay focused. How do you give advice on how to pay constant attention to dangerous circumstances? You think that it would come naturally. You'd think the survival instinct would kick in and that she'd just do it.

Evidently not. Spacing out is the #1 One Driver Error these days. Everybody seems to be doing it.

Why can't people concentrate anymore?

Lists

No fancy prose today. We'll merely look at lists. Perhaps this light reading will cause you to do some heavy thinking.

List #1 - The Top Ten Causes of Accidental Death in America (In Reverse Order)

10. Machinery - Deaths per year: 350

9. Medical & Surgical Complications and Misadventures - Deaths per year: 500

8. Poisoning by gases - Deaths per year: 700

7. Firearms - Deaths per year: 1,500

6. Suffocation - Deaths per year: 3,300

5. Fires and burns - Deaths per year: 3,700

4. Drowning - Deaths per year: 4,000

3. Poisoning by solids and liquids - Deaths per year: 8,600

2. Falls - Deaths per year: 14,900

1. Motor vehicle crashes - Deaths per year: 43,200

Compiled by soyouwanna.com

List #2 - Top 10 Driving Mistakes

On May 27, 2003, the newly formed coalition "Drive for Life: The National Safe Driving Test & Initiative" cited the following as the 10 most common driving mistakes:

1. Failing to pay attention -- "zoning out"

2. Driving while drowsy

3. Becoming distracted inside the car

4. Failing to adjust to weather conditions

5. Driving aggressively

6. Making assumptions about other drivers' intentions

7. Speeding

8. Changing lanes without checking blind spots and mirrors

9. Driving while upset

10. Ignoring essential auto maintenance

For more on the initiative, or to take the Safe Driving Test, visit the Web site at http://www.safedrivingtest.com.

List #3 - Top Driving Distractions

1. CD/Cassette Players and Radio
2. Children
3. Pets
4. Eating
5. Drinking
6. Smoking
7. Cell phones
8. Personal grooming

http://www.safedrivingtest.com/moredistractions.html#tdd