Letters to the Editor

PI Friday, February 2, 2007

DRIVING

Any measure that reduces distractions is a good thing

This is about Monday's aricle, "Texting while driving: Should it be a crime?"

Any measure that will reduce driver distractions is a good thing. The banning of hand-held cell phones, and particularly text messaging, undoubtedly will save lives. It will contribute to what we call the One Second Advantage, which references a European study that found that if drivers had one more second of reaction time, 80 percent of collisions could be avoided.

It's obvious that being distracted by talking on a cell phone and steering with one hand, let alone typing a text message, would result in at least one less second of reaction time. In 2005, more than 600 people died in vehicle crashes in Washington. If the drivers -- the at-fault and not-at-fault drivers -- had been more focused on driving and less distracted, how many of those people would be alive?

Having trained thousands of teen drivers, and knowing what type of attention they require during the most critical years of their driving lives, we know that passing this bill will contribute to saving teen lives. And what better time to begin building good driving habits than during the teen years? Anyone whose child has reminded them to buckle up knows the value of developing good habits and a sense of responsibility at an early age. Washington's Graduated Driver Licensing program restricts teens from carrying passengers. Restricting cell phone use is one more step toward changing the fact that vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of 16- to 34-year-olds.

Ross Bentley

Founder, SWERVE Driver Training

Redmond