Death by Distraction

(Photo by Analogue Kid)

Mindfulness can involve one-pointed attention to uni-tasking. Today’s drivers are often doing anything but.

Smartphones have been used quite stupidly.  While hurtling down highways, drivers are texting and tweeting.  If not, then they’re eating a sandwich or primping their hair.

According to Bloomberg, federal data is lacking about such instances.  Statistics regarding road fatalities are lumped together in a way that doesn’t specify these distractions.

When Jennifer Smith’s mother was killed by a “20-year old college student [who] ran a red light while talking on his mobile phone,” Smith decided to take action.  She founded the group Stopdistractions.org, hoping to stem the tragic tide.

That was nine years ago, and “death-by-distraction” has only “gotten much worse.”  More and more Americans are buying smartphones, and more and more are using them while driving (walking, eating, sleeping – you name it).  

As social-media encryption becomes more sophisticated, it becomes harder to track these habits.  Smith therefore suspects that the “real number of fatalities tied to cell phones is at least three times the federal figure.”   

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody%e2%80%99s-counting/ar-AAtQOp7?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=BHEA000 

Copyright October 23, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved