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DRIVER EDUCATION State to use SOU study to fight distracted driving By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 18, 2016 @ 12:01 am By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 18, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Oregon’s law against driving while using a cellphone is not working. Violations and phone-related crashes and fatalities are going up since the ban was passed in 2013, causing the state to launch a new strategy based on research at Southern Oregon University. “We’re definitely seeing a great increase in the numbers where distracted driving causes injuries and fatalities,” said Tom Fuller, communications manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation, after viewing a presentation of research and recommended strategies from four SOU students in the Master’s in Business Administration program this week. The plan, he said, is “very helpful to us and is going to be the bedrock of our program.” An appellate court decision “neutered all Oregon laws against using a cellphone while driving,” Fuller said, unless police witness the driver operating the phone’s buttons. "Police tell us there’s no way we can write a ticket, unless we get some clarification from the 2017 Legislature or the Supreme Court, but we’re not going to wait for that.” Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara said police here are still “vigorously” giving tickets for cellphone use by drivers — 145 so far. It’s a “very serious problem,” he said, though noting Ashland’s two most recent fatalities were from drunken driving crashes. SOU’s proposed plan surveyed 1,560 people. It found: • Distracted driving has become “an epidemic … pervasive and entrenched in our society.” • New technologies are making it more inviting to use phones while driving. • In Oregon, fatal crashes increased 33 percent in the year ending September 2015 and 60 percent of these crashes came from distracted driving. • Half of drivers answer calls while driving. • Teens learn distracted driving from parents. • Many drivers say they do it alone but not with passengers. • Texting is the most distracting, then lifestyle (drinking, eating, grooming, children), then social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook). • Social change is needed. It should use influential people, especially parents and friends, to get the message across. It should use short video clips on TV and social media. Soon, a “tipping point” is reached and (like smoking) most people get with the rules. • Only a fourth of respondents said education would help. Half favored law enforcement and higher fines. The fine now is $142. Some states charge $500. • Respondents favored more highway signs, raising violations to a class B offense with $1,000 maximum fine and mandatory driver education. Fuller said the Oregon Transportation Commission a few months ago asked ODOT to create a broader campaign on distracted driving — and it will be based on the original research of SOU, which is superior to the earlier research of the American Automobile Association, he said, because it was done on Oregonians and learned their attitudes and behaviors and who they listen to. Because so many people admitted to texting and phoning while alone in the car, but not with others, Fuller said, “we’re going to play off that shame, so eventually, they won’t do it at all.” Cellphones and their ocean of information and contacts from friends have become an “addiction,” Fuller notes. “People suffer from info-mania and have an inability to stop looking at websites. We’re going to be looking at the science of how to get the message across to people." He said research shows that distracted driving is more dangerous than drunken driving because distracted drivers' eyes are off the road. The new “heads up” display, which shows a screen in the air just below the line of vision, allows drivers to have both road and screen in their awareness — and, he said, may become part of ODOT’s positive strategy. “We can’t get in their car and make them stop, but we can get in their head and that’s where we’re going with this,” said Fuller. The study was done by master’s degree students Angela Durant, Kelsie Lawson, Simon Schubnell and Kristina Wolf, with Donna Lane as their teacher. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By John Darling for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 18, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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