Distracted drivers worry local police

A common problem with motorists in town – distracted driving – is also a national concern, transportation and Willimantic police officials said.

“We have a lot of rear-end crashes,” Lt. Mary Beth Curtis said, adding “a lot of them (accidents)” can be attributed to distracted driving.

For example, Curtis said more drivers are now text messaging while driving, as “texting” has evolved into a more popular way of communicating.

A federal report last week detailed that nearly 6,000 deaths occur due to distracted driving, something local police have been monitoring as well.

Curtis said distracted driving, along with traveling at high speeds, accounts for a majority of accidents in town.

She said sending text messages and checking emails on a Blackberry – a wireless handheld device capable of sending and receiving emails, text messages and telephone calls – are “exceptionally dangerous” because motorists take their eyes off the road.

State law prohibits operating a motor vehicle while using a hand-held electronic device and state and local officials encourage the use of hands-free devices if one must use their phone.

Federal transportation figures released at a two-day conference by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show more than 5,800 distracted driving deaths and 515,000 injuries in 2008.

The fatality figures released by the government did not break down crashes by specific driver behavior, according to the release.

Broadly, safety officials identified cell phone use, texting, eating, talking to passengers and manipulating radio or vehicle controls as distractions, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Every single time someone takes their eyes or their focus off the road – even for just a few seconds – they put their lives and the lives of others in danger,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Distracted driving is unsafe, irresponsible and in a split second, its consequences can be devastating.”

On any given day in 2008, more than 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone, the release said.

Across the board, federal researchers who have directly observed drivers of all ages found more and more people are using a variety of hand-held devices while driving – not just cell phones, but also iPods, video games, Blackberrys and GPS systems, a news release said.

In particular, cell phone use for talking and texting is now more prevalent on our nation’s roads, rail systems and waterways, carrying a dangerous potential for accidents, the release said.