Oprah's 'No Phone Zone' Pledge: Too Little, Too LateCall me
pessimistic, but I don't think Oprah Winfrey's "No Phone
Zone" -- a push to stop texting and talking on cell phones
while driving -- is going to work. Car dashboards are
distraction magnets. Taking phones out of the equation is
only a small part of the battle.
The queen of daytime television has declared Friday No Phone
Zone Day, with rallies in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los
Angeles and Washington, D.C., according to a video report on
ABC News. Winfrey is also introducing a public service
announcement with the story of a 9-year-old girl who was
killed while riding her bike by a motorist who was talking
on her cell phone. A website urges people not to text or
talk on their phones without a hands-free device while
driving.
Winfrey's cause is a noble one. In 2008, nearly 6000 people
died as a result of distracted driving, and more than a half
million were injured according to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration. Other studies (outlined here)
show that using a cell phone while driving delays reaction
time in a way akin to having a couple drinks, and that using
a hand-held device of any kind can quintuple your odds of
having a serious accident.
And yet people continue, including me. For the last five
years, I've lived in states where it's illegal to talk on a
cell phone and drive. I'm aware of the rules and I try to
stay out of trouble -- the law is actually a great excuse to
avoid phone conversations you don't want to have -- but
sometimes it's just too inconvenient to pull off the road or
remember to call someone back later. And forget about
sticking something in your ear. That's just as distracting.
To really encourage people not to use their phones while
driving, we need better technology. The auto industry needs
to make Bluetooth integration and voice activation standard,
not optional, and phone makers need to work with them to
make it as easy as possible for all users. We've seen some
great developments like the MyFord Touch, which seeks to
make all uses of technology in cars simple and easy. More of
that, please.
Beyond technology, there's a culture of distracted driving
that includes things like fiddling with the radio, reading
GPS devices, eating, drinking and personal grooming, but
that's another story entirely, and one that's well beyond
PCWorld's purview.
I know that if Winfrey can convince just few more people to
adopt a No Phone Zone, that's better than nothing. If one
life can be saved, the effort is worthwhile. But the Oprah
Winfrey Show averages 6.7 million viewers, and less than
250,000 people have signed the pledge as of now. People
aren't paying attention. Maybe they're too busy texting
their friends.
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