Mary Ann
Lahann was inching past the Bay Bridge toll plaza when -- wham!
Rear-ended by a driver with her head down, texting away.
It's no
surprise to the 51-year-old engineer from Carmichael that cellphone use
and texting now rank as the biggest safety worries on our roads,
according to a survey released Thursday by the state Office of Traffic
Safety. Motorists consider phone users more dangerous than speeders,
tailgaters or drunken drivers.
Those fretting about drivers
using cellphones more than doubled from a year ago, to 39 percent, a
"dramatic" increase, according to safety officials.
And though 55
percent claimed they didn't once hold a phone while driving in the past
month, 46 percent say they have made driving mistakes while talking on
cellphones, and 60 percent say they have been hit or nearly hit by other
drivers who were talking or texting.
"The person behind me just
flat-out didn't stop," Lahann said. "When I got out and went to her
window, she was sitting there kind of stunned. She said, 'I was on my
phone! I didn't see you.' Like that was an excuse!"
In 2010, 22
percent of drivers thought speeding and aggressive driving were the
biggest problems, followed by cellphone talking and texting, which
totaled 18 percent combined. In the latest survey, speeding and
aggressive driving dropped to 18 percent. Drunken driving was next on
the list, with 13 percent considering it the biggest danger on the
roads.
"I would agree (cellphone use) is the No. 1
distraction," said California Highway Patrol Officer D.J. Sarabia, of
San Jose. "Oftentimes we see drivers weaving in and out of lanes or
driving on the shoulders. We stop to investigate what we may think is a
possible DUI driver only to find out it was someone talking on the
phone, hands-free or not."
Added Alameda County Sheriff Tom
Rodrigues: "I see drivers on their cellphones every day. It's as if the
laws don't even exist. I write every one that I possibly can. With all
of the innovative tools out there for hands-free use, I am at a loss as
to why people don't use them."
The CHP has issued nearly 475,000
tickets to drivers violating the hands-free law since it went into
effect in July 2008. Police estimate local departments have issued a
similar number of tickets over that period.
The survey comes at a
time when federal officials have begun a campaign against distracted
driving by targeting teens. This weekend a safety video dubbed "OMG"
will begin playing during previews at some movie theaters and at gas
stations with video screens at pumps in the Bay Area and nationwide.
The
cost of a ticket is about $159. A bill to double that amount and apply
the same law to bicyclists was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Data on
how many crashes can be directly linked to cellphone use are
inconclusive. Some studies say it's a huge problem, while others point
to an overall decline in crashes and injuries and say concerns are
overstated.
"Speeding, aggressive driving, drunk driving all are
very serious and actually kill more people than cellphone use," said
Chris Cochran, a spokesman for the traffic safety group. "But crashes
from cellphone use are a fast-growing problem and one that the public is
correct in noticing and, hopefully, reversing early."
One piece
of encouraging news is that a larger percentage of drivers (40 percent)
say they talk less on their phones while driving than last year (35
percent) because of the hands-free law.
Meanwhile, police say
they are getting better at spotting cellphone abusers who try to hide
phones in their hair or hoodie, let the phone drop to the floor or
pretend they are scratching their face or playing with earrings.
Safety studies say a driver texting while going 55 mph can cover the length of a football field without looking at the road.
"What
if a pedestrian steps into a crosswalk? What if a child runs across the
street? What if the vehicle in front of you stops to avoid a hazard?"
said CHP Officer Sarah Jackson, of Aptos. "The consequences are
permanent."
And if being rear-ended wasn't enough, Lahann had
another bad experience one day as she walked through the parking lot at a
grocery store. Without warning, a teen texting while on his bicycle ran
into her as he rode head down, no hands on the handlebars, texting like
mad.
"I saw him at the last moment and jumped to the side," she
said. "His front wheel swiped me. He wobbled and almost went down. No
apology, just a swear word."