Centerline: Distracted Driving; Beware of the "April Fools" Published April 21, 2014 By 2nd Lt. Kevin Huff 14th Flying Training Wing Safety Office COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Today's world is blanketed in a vast array of ever expanding technology. It's hard to find someone today who doesn't own a cell phone. Unfortunately, the use of this technology has expanded into the dangerous realm of driving while texting or talking on a cell phone. In response, the Department of Transportation designated April 2014 as Distracted Driving Awareness month. The campaign aims to inform us about the dangers of distracted driving and to reduce the rate of distracted driving all together. According to the National Safety Council, car accidents rank as the number one cause of unintentional deaths in the United States. Car crashes kill 100 people daily and 90 percent of all car crashes are attributed to driver error. The NSC also states that 26 percent of all car crashes involve cell phone use; whether talking or texting, on handheld or hands free devices. Distracted driving is a dangerous game to play; not just for you, but for everyone around you. Cell phone use is the leading cause of distracted driving accidents. Driving while using a cell phone requires the brain to multitask, something the brain cannot do safely while driving. Drivers who focus their attention on a cell phone conversation or text message instead of the road experience impaired driving performance and have a tendency to look at, but not see, up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment. Drivers were even tested in a closed course environment and missed many critical driving cues due to distracted driving. Distracted driving includes many other factors than just cell phone use, such as eating, drinking, applying makeup or searching for stuff in a glove compartment or purse. While driving, a good guideline to follow is to keep your eyes on the road, your hands on the wheel, and your mind on driving. Recent studies have shown that hands free devices used for voice-to-text are more distracting than typing texts by hand as they require more concentration and take more of your focus away from the road. Imagine trying to read a book and have a phone conversation at the same time. It's nearly impossible to focus on both and be able to comprehend both what you are reading and what you are talking about on the phone. Although, having another person in the car talking to you is very similar to a phone conversation it's important to note that they possess another set of eyes to watch out for traffic and can stop talking when traffic gets heavy. Let's all make an effort this month to reduce distracted driving before an accident occurs.