Community Corner
Rye Forum Opens Dialogue on Distracted Driving
Instead of leading with enforcement, panel members at the Rye YMCA Distracted Driving and Walking Forum say they want to change people's decision making behind the wheel.
You’ve seen the video clip of the woman who fell into a shopping mall fountain while sending a text message or the heard the story of the Staten Island teenager who fell into a sidewalk manhole doing the same. You’ve seen a driver veer about in their traffic lane, their gaze focused on their smartphone or GPS unit instead of the road. Maybe you laughed or wondered incredulously how anyone could be so absent-minded.
But really, when you think about it, it’s not so funny at all. Or worse, maybe it was you taking a risk that could oh-so-quickly turn tragic. Whether its cell phones, sleep deprivation, or some other distraction, drivers and pedestrians are getting hurt or worse across the country and right here in Rye.
The Rye YMCA hosted Thursday night’s Street Smarts community forum on distracted driving and walking at the Rye Free Reading Room in hopes of shifting the discussion about the issue from enforcement to enlightenment.
Panel members-- including moderator Steve Mochel of Fresh Green Light driving school, Port Chester-Rye-Rye Brook EMS administrator Scott Moore, blogger Beth Feldman, Rye Neck High School students Katie Doong and Emily Mastoloni with their teacher Susan Hannon-- talked with Rye YMCA CEO Gregg Howells and marketing director Helen Gates about their respective efforts to engage their community members about the issue.
The research is startling: Sixteen people are killed, 1400 injured every day because of distracted drivers, said Mochel. A Virginia Tech study, estimates drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident while they are texting than when their eyes are on the road.
A major part of the problem is that people simply underestimate the impact distraction has on their responses. Recent studies have shown that drivers text messaging or talking on cell phones are as impaired as if they had crossed the legal threshold for alcohol consumption, Mochel said.
During the 4 seconds you might take your eyes off the road to glance at a text while travelling at 55 miles per hour, your car travels the length of a football field. “Imagine closing your eyes for that amount of time,” said Mochel.
“When it comes to driving, multi-tasking is not an option,” said blogger Beth Feldman.
Parents can have a huge influence on their children by changing their own behavior. So said EMS head Scott Moore, who admitted that even though he’s seen the devastation of distraction, he’s been guilty of gabbing at the wheel.
But Moore says he has taken steps to change his behavior and make sure safety prevails among his first responders, even as they manage the moving parts of their emergency protocols.
“In the last five years, I’ve not had a text message that mattered as much [as my safety],” said Moore.
While teenagers are more likely to text message while driving, adults are most likely to talk and drive.
SADD no longer stands for Students Against Drunk Driving. The letters now form the acronym Students Against Destructive Decisions at Rye Neck High School. In addition to the dangers of drinking alcohol, the youth group now reaches out to their high school peers to raise their awareness about a myriad of factors that could impair their safety and they are making a real difference in young people’s choices and behavior behind the wheel.
“As a new driver,” said Rye Neck High School student and SADD member Emily Mastoloni, “I’ve gone in knowing the dangers.”
Recently, Rye Neck High School tenth graders designed bumper stickers, displayed at the forum, specifically focused on the dangers of distraction.
Dinah Howland, of the Rye YMCA Activate America program, observed the strength children could have on the problem. “The great thing about educating students is that it does get back to their parents.”
“As parents, we think we are the ultimate multi-taskers,” said blogger Beth Feldman. “We’re not. Put it [the cell phone] down.”
