Young Minnesota Drivers Prove Preoccupied

How many Twin Cities drivers are driving with one hand on the wheel and the other preoccupied with a cell phone, iPod, BlackBerry or hamburger?

According to a new "Twin Cities Driving Behavior" Survey commissioned by AAA Minneapolis, 77 percent of drivers ages 18-34 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area snack while they drive, 70 percent talk on cell phones and one in three young adults actually text message while behind the wheel.

The habits of these Twin Cities drivers -- their attention torn between driving and eating fast food or communicating on their iPhones or PDAs -- causes 60 percent of Twin Cities drivers ages 18-54 to feel stressed while on the road with these distracted drivers. In fact, AAA Minneapolis survey respondents say distracted drivers in general cause them more behind-the-wheel anxiety and stress than poor road conditions and construction delays, or from drivers who merge or change lanes improperly, tailgate, or drive slowly or over-aggressively.

AAA Minneapolis' "Twin Cities Driving Behavior" Survey results echo national driving trends.

In 2007, more than 1 million drivers at any given daylight moment across the nation were using hand-held phones, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A recent insurance survey found that nationally 80 percent of drivers drank non-alcoholic beverages, 73 percent talked on cell phones, 68 percent ate snacks, 41 percent ate meals, 19 percent fixed their hair, 12 percent put on or adjusted their make-up, 5 percent read a magazine or newspaper, and 31 percent admitted to daydreaming while driving.

The AAA Minneapolis' study also found that more (10 percentage points) Twin Cities men than women admit to text message while driving.

One piece of good news revealed from the AAA Minneapolis survey is that an encouraging 91 percent of Twin Cities drivers claim they "always" wear their seat belts when driving or riding in a vehicle. This figure is 10 percentage points higher than the 2007 national seat belt use average of 81 percent cited by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Driver Kills Pedestrian; Text Messaging Suspected

Authorities in Massachusetts report that the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian last weekend in Easton was text messaging at the time of the accident.

Michael Faria, 33, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday in court to killing John McCarthy, 58, of Brockton.

Faria, who turned himself in, was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail related to charges of homicide by motor vehicle, operating to endanger, and leaving the scene of an accident. He allegedly made some repairs to his vehicle following the accident.

McCarthy was reportedly alive when police reached the scene in the early morning hours last Saturday, but later died at Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.

According to a study released in 2007 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of all near crashes happen when drivers are distracted. The study said the top cause of distraction is dialing or talking on cellphones.

California Cracks Down on Driving and Using Cell Phones

Starting July 1, drivers in California will have to stop using hand-held cell phones while driving or risk a fine. But one area not covered in the new law is texting.

The new law states that drivers must use hands-free devices to talk while driving, but it does not stipulate you cannot text while driving.

Looking to make things safer for all drivers on California's roadways, one state senator has proposed legislation that would add texting to the new cell phone ban. Sen. Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto), has proposed that text messaging be added to the lists of things not to do while driving.

However, even if the no-texting legislation does gain approval and is signed by the governor, it would not take effect until Jan. 1.

The law taking effect next month takes special aim at juvenile drivers. While adults will no longer be able to use hand-held cell phones (they can use hands-free or text messagers), juveniles cannot use any mode of communication, including all cell phones and text messagers.

The violation, though, is a secondary offense, which means minors may not be pulled over for using a hands-free cell phone or text messager unless they are pulled over for breaking a second traffic offense at the same time.

California became the fourth state to ban motorists from holding cell phones while driving when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation that passed in the state assembly back in 2006.

New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Washington, D.C. are the other areas where it is illegal to drive and be talking on a hand-held cell phone, unless in an emergency situation.