FocusDriven Angered That Drive Coalition Lumps All Distracted Driving Together

Singling out cell phone distractions is necessary to save lives

GRAPEVINE, Texas, July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- FocusDriven – Advocates for Cell-Free Driving today spoke out against the DRIVE Coalition – a group that hopes to address the distracted driving issue through education, not laws – at a press conference with the Department of Transportation. Cell phone distracted driving contributes to the greatest number of motor vehicle crashes annually – an estimated 1.6 million crashes.  

"There is a growing number of victims and families who have been impacted by this behavior – I'm among them. My mother was killed by a driver using his cell phone. Cell phone distracted driving is a national epidemic that needs to be addressed on a larger scale. Yes, education is important, but it just isn't enough to change behaviors," said Jennifer Smith, president and founding Board Member of FocusDriven.

Previous efforts to change behaviors, such as reducing drunk driving and increasing the use of safety belts, show that to be effective it takes education supported by good laws and strong enforcement. FocusDriven encourages law makers to take a stand on the issue and protect our nation's motorists and others on the roads. As for the DRIVE Coalition, FocusDriven encourages them not to obstruct laws that will prevent these accidents and save countless lives.

"I don't want to see any more families suffer from a tragedy that was 100 percent preventable. How many more lives need to be lost? We need laws now – laws that ban handheld and hands-free phones," continued Ms. Smith. Drivers using cell phones experience a form of cognitive distraction, called inattention blindness, where they "look, but don't see." As such, they are more likely to miss important driving cues – such as light changes and road signs.

About FocusDriven

FocusDriven – Advocates for Cell-Free Driving (focusdriven.org) is a nonprofit advocacy organization for victims of motor vehicle crashes involving drivers using cell phones. FocusDriven supports victims of cell phone distracted driving and families of victims. Its goal is to increase public awareness on the dangers of cell phone distracted driving by putting a human face on the disastrous impact of the behavior, in order to promote corresponding public policies, programs and personal responsibility.

SOURCE FocusDriven