Viewpoint

Here, a monthly perspective from Consumers Union on the latest challenges—and possible solutions—facing U.S. consumers today. See archived letters.

Driving while distracted

Nine-year-old Erica Forney was riding her bike home from school in 2008 on the last day of classes before the Thanksgiving break. She was in a bicycle lane just a few pedal pushes from home, in Fort Collins, Colo., when she was hit by a Ford Expedition driven by a woman who, police say, was looking down at her cell phone.

Erica was flung in the air, fell on a curb, and suffered severe head trauma. She died two days later, on Thanksgiving Day. "She was an amazing kid," says her mother, Shelley Forney. "She had 10 different careers she wanted to do and she loved making everyone laugh."

In 2008 almost 6,000 people died and more than half a million people were injured on U.S. roads in crashes that involved distracted drivers. Distracted driving is defined as anything that takes the driver's hands off the wheel or eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds or interrupts concentration.

Crash course

The numbers may badly underestimate the true picture; they're based on drivers who admitted to engaging in some sort of distracting activity prior to an accident.

Using a cell phone while driving—whether it's handheld or hands-free—delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 (the legal limit for drivers 21 and older in all states), according to research from the University of Utah.

Texting while driving is even worse. It involves the three types of activities that distract drivers the most: visual (looking away from the road), manual (punching keys on a wireless device), and cognitive (reading or composing a text message).

Seven states and Washington, D.C., have banned the use of a handheld cell phone while driving. Texting while driving is prohibited in 20 states and D.C. Among the remaining states, six actually prohibit local jurisdictions from passing any restrictions.

There are no federal laws yet, but Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has launched Distraction.gov to gather legislative news and information. He wants a ban on texting while driving. Consumers Union agrees that regulatory solutions are needed immediately.

Shelley Forney isn't waiting for lawmakers to act; she and others have formed FocusDriven to advocate for change. "We're not anti-cell-phone," she says. "We're anti-cell-phone while driving."