A C T I O N S Y O U C A N T A K E :
1. Don't use or permit others to use their cell phone
while driving.
2. Display a "No Phone Zone" bumper sticker.
3. Employ cell blocking software while driving.
4. Write to your legislators demanding stronger laws,
penalties, and enforcement for driver cell phone use.
Sample letter and petition available for download
on our Current Projects page.
5. Spread the word. Ask others to drive responsibly.
> Using a hand held cell phone increases the risk of a collision by 4 times (equal to that of legal intoxication).
> Texting increases the risk by 23 times ( 5.7 times greater than drunk driving).
> The average young driver texts over 70 times per
day. 90% of teenagers admit to texting while driving.
> A texting driver has their eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds. At 60 MPH, that is a distance of 1 and 1/2 football fields of cell blind driving.
> Most teenagers mistakenly believe that texting while
driving is safer than drunk driving.
> Many states refuse to regulate hand held devices
while driving, weakly enforce regulations, or have trivial
penalties for violations. Automobile makers, cell
phone producers and service providers minimize the
risk of the devices they provide. Currently, about 5 percent of California drivers are using a hand held phone while behind the wheel at any given time.
> More Americans died in 2009 (about 6000) from driver cell related distraction than have been killed in both the combined Iraq and Afgan Wars.
Eric Okerblom
Jennie Lake 2009
D I S T R A C T E D D R I V I N G F A C T S
"In 2009 over 6000
Americans died from
cell phone related collisions."
Eric Okerblom Foundation
