May 19, 2009

Distracted Driving Takes Its Toll

Just days ago, a bus driver was caught on video sending text messages for six solid minutes before crashing into a sports utility vehicle that was stopped in traffic. The driver of the SUV suffered neck injuries, but luckily no one was killed. Had it been a motorcycle the bus plowed into, the results could have been deadly. This is just one example of the inherent dangers motorcyclists face every day on the road: other motorists who are not paying attention.

The most common type of collision involving a motorcycle rider occurs when a driver makes a left turn in an intersection directly in front of an oncoming motorcyclist, according to Motorcycle Safety Foundation President Tim Buche. Afterward, the automobile drivers typically say they never even saw the motorcycle.

Drivers have plenty of distractions, but many of these are within their power to control, like fiddling with the radio, applying makeup, eating, talking on cell phones, checking text messages, or worse yet, sending text messages while driving. In fact, according to the February 2008 issue of Brain Research, even if a driver uses a hands-free cell phone, there’s a 37 percent drop in activity in the region of the brain used for navigation. Simply put, people on the phone are not really paying attention. May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, so pay attention and share the road. It could save a life.