FOX 4 WFTX - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples News, Weather"Just Drive" to Stay Alive
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Driving gets you where you need to go. But what about all the business that happens in the car along the way? In Fort Myers at the Sun Sports Center the "Stay Alive Just Drive" group is working to curb distracted driving. An alarming eighty percent of all car crashes are caused by some form of distracted driving. Bill Boyd came out for the groups first ever fundraiser.
"Yes, I'm terrible with distracted driving," said Boyd. And admits to "talking on the cell phone while I'm driving." According to the organizations Executive Director Jay Anderson, Boyd's not alone.
"They watch dvds now, they use their laptops, they text message," said Anderson, "they're wearing iPods behind the wheel." That's actually against the law.
Anderson preaches that the time you have to respond to a potential crash is only seconds. And that's if your completely focused on the road.
"Typically (a) distraction lasts three seconds. That's long enough for a car going 68mph to go the length of a football field," Anderson said. "Combine that with the average reaction time of a second and a half - that 41/2 seconds becomes a recipe for disaster."
And if you're talking on the phone, putting on make-up, or shaving, you're not just putting yourself and others on the road at risk. First responders can't get through a busy intersection if a distracted driver doesn't get out of the way.
John McMahon is a Deputy Chief with the South Trail Fire Department. McMahon sees distracted driving everyday.
"And the worst part is," said the firefighter as he cooked ribs at the fundraiser, "When they do react, they make some big mistakes, and they stop right in front of us, or don't pull over."
"You know they're not accidents," said Anderson, "they're crashes." He began the campaign after his wife suffered several leg fractures after getting hit by a driver who was on the phone. And Anderson only has one word of advice on how to drive.
"The only acceptable way is to keep both hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road." And in return, you help keep the road safe.
CHRISTINA BAILEY, REPORTER
cbailey@fox4now.com
