March 13, 2018
The Honorable Jesse Stone
Chair
Senate Committee on Judiciary
Georgia State Senate
325-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
The Honorable Bill Cowsert
Vice Chair
Senate Committee on Judiciary
Georgia State Senate
325-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Dear Chairman Stone and Vice Chairman Cowsert:
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), an alliance of consumer, safety, medical and public health groups, and insurance companies working together to pass highway and auto safety laws that prevent crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs, urges you to support House Bill (HB) 673. This legislation will improve safety on Georgia’s roads by broadening the current prohibition on drivers from using wireless communication devices to read, write or send text messages while operating a motor vehicle to include the expanded uses of portable electronic devices that have emerged as technology developed. Considering the prevalence of distracted driving crashes, this legislation is critical, responsive and timely.
In 2016, 1,554 people were killed on Georgia roads marking the largest number of annual traffic deaths since 2007 (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)). Wireless communication device distraction is a serious issue contributing to crashes and deaths. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 more were injured in distracted driving crashes across the nation. Additionally, it is important to note these figures are known to be under-reported due to numerous challenges including differences in police crash report coding and database limitations. More can and should be done to eradicate driver distraction.
As wireless communication technology has developed from cellphones to smart phones, which are in actuality miniature computers, and the range of electronic communication platforms has significantly broadened to include apps, social media, gaming, etc., laws curbing driver distraction must be updated to keep pace with the technology and ensuing distraction. We know that sending or receiving a text message causes a driver’s eyes to be off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. When driving 55 miles per hour, that time period is equivalent to driving the entire length of a football field while wearing a blindfold (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI)). Filming oneself behind the wheel, taking photos, gaming and using apps to communicate is also highly distracting and takes the driver’s eyes off the road and their mind off the task of driving. Moreover, at any given moment during daylight driving, 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic communication devices while driving nationwide (NHTSA).
Distracted driving not only results in crashes, deaths and injuries, but it also unnecessarily expends taxpayer dollars. Crashes in which at least one driver was identified as being distracted cost $40 billion annually (NHTSA). Nationally, distracted driver crashes cost businesses $8.2 billion in 2013 (Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, 2016). The annual economic costs of all crashes in Georgia are nearly $10.8 billion (NHTSA).
Each distracted driving death and serious injury irrevocably changes the lives of families and communities in Georgia and across the nation. We urge you to support HB 673, a critical measure to curb dangerous and deadly distracted driving.
Sincerely,
Catherine Chase, President
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
cc: Senate Committee on Judiciary Members