Texting And Driving in NE Ohio Higher Than Average

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-4grnwpLk8?rel=0

Even after four years, Tina Muslovski Yanssens of East Palestine, Ohio can’t tell her father’s story without breaking down. She’s told it hundreds of times – to high school students, state lawmakers, the governor, and safety councils – to anyone who will listen.

Her 56-year-old dad, Dave Muslovski, was run over and killed by a 19-year-old who was texting and driving. That was June 17, 2010.

“I remember them wheeling my grandfather up to the coffin and hearing him cry. He kept pleading with God. ‘Why didn’t you take me? I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to bury my children.'”

That is one of many scenes seared into Yanssen’s memory surrounding the tragedy of that June day. Her father was walking along Middletown Road in Springfield Township. It was part of a daily ritual in a plan to get healthy. He was 10 minutes from home.

After the funeral, Yanssens gave her 95-year-old grandfather, Constantine Muslovski, a T-shirt that read: “Don’t Text and Drive.” He wore it every day in the nursing home where he lived.

“Anybody that walked into his room, he would tell them, ‘Don’t text and drive. I lost my baby that way.'”

Yanssens wasn’t content with T-shirts. Along with other advocates, she successfully lobbied for passage of an anti-texting law in 2012. The law forbids Ohio drivers from writing, sending or reading texts while driving or at a stoplight. Those younger than 18, known as novice drivers, aren’t allowed to use any electronic device, hand-held or hands-free.

Despite laws and slick ad campaigns, an investigation by The News Outlet found motorists in Northeast Ohio continue to use cell phones at higher rates than those predicted by the federal government.

In 2012, the National Highway Safety Administration reported the number of people using hand-hand cellphones while driving stayed unchanged from 2011 at 5 percent.

From 4 to 5 p.m. on three separate days, reporters for The News Outlet stood on highway overpasses in Akron, Youngstown and Cleveland, and counted cars and drivers on cell phones.

In Akron, eight percent of drivers were spotted using cell phones. In Cleveland, the rate was 10 percent. In Youngstown, the rate jumped to 14 percent.

According to the National Safety Council, 33 percent of all accidents involve cell phones.

That number might be too low, said Dave Pulay, transportation engineer for the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study.

“The number of distracted driving crashes are probably under-reported because it is hard for an officer to determine if there was a distraction unless the driver admits to it or a witness provides the information,” Pulay said.

It’s the same story on the national level with no reliable way to determine who talks and drives, who texts and drives and how those actions lead to accidents.

“Distractions have been around since there’s been vehicles on the roadway,” said Sgt. Vincent Shirey of the Ohio Highway Patrol’s Department of Public Safety in Columbus. The difference is “we are educated and making folks more aware of the dangers of driving distracted and using the cell phone and texting.”

In 2013, between March and December, troopers wrote 200 citations for illegal cell phone use on state highways.

Sean Moriarty of Canton believes they aren’t diligent enough.

On Feb. 18, 2013, Moriarty was driving on state Route 8 with his wife when another driver merged onto the highway and sped across three lanes of busy traffic, nearly hitting Moriarty’s car and causing him to veer left and hit another driver in the far left lane. Moriarty, who said the speeding driver was texting, got the license plate number. But police did nothing.

” ‘It’s his word against yours.’ That was exactly what they said,” said Moriarty.

Now, Moriarty is more diligent while driving.

“I see it six, seven, eight times a day. They have children in the car, car seats, little babies in the back seat,” he said. “I don’t understand what they are possibly thinking.”

In 2012, the NHTSA reported that 3,328 people died in accidents caused by “distracted driving” in the entire country. Another 421,000 people were injured.

Meanwhile in 2013, the Ohio Department of Safety reported 912 injuries and 10 deaths in accidents involving cell-phone use. An additional 172 injuries and six deaths were reported with “texting or emailing” listed as a contributing cause in the accident.

There’s bad news for people who think they will be safer if they use a hands-free device.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re texting or talking, or you using hands free or hand-held, it’s all about what it does with your mind,” said Michael Rosen of Akron, owner of IC Cellular.

Hands-free talking is just as distracting as holding a phone, says an October study by the University of Utah and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

“Even though your car may be configured to support social media, texting and phone calls, it doesn’t mean it is safe to do so,” said David Strayer, study leader and psychology professor at the university. “The primary task should be driving. Things that take your attention away make you a poor driver and make the roads less safe.”

Rosen said people are addicted to their phones and the problem won’t be solved “until methods of being able to treat people for cell phone addiction become a reality, and until people have serious or near serious accidents.”

Young drivers just don’t see the problem with using phones while driving, said Regina Spicer, owner of New Beginnings Driving School in Euclid.

“To them, it’s just a little gadget that doesn’t pose a threat,” Spicer said. “They don’t see the dangers – so they don’t take it seriously.”

In December 2011, the NHTSA released a distracted driving survey on the attitudes and behaviors of 6,000 drivers, ages 18 and older. The survey found drivers, ages 18 to 20, were most likely to use their cell phones while driving. Also, 13 percent admitted to using a cell phone at the time of a crash or near crash. Of those, 8 percent were sending a text or e-mail, 3 percent were reading a text or e-mail and 2 percent were talking on a phone.

Based on these findings, The News Outlet conducted a survey at The University of Akron.

Of the 188 people who participated, 97.9 percent said they regularly see other drivers using cell phones while driving; 91 percent have talked on cell phones while driving; and 65.4 percent texted while driving. Also, 87.8 percent said cell phone use on the road concerns them, and 50 percent said that they don’t feel confident that they can multitask while driving.

Those who admitted to texting while driving said they do so rarely, usually at stoplights or when they are stopped in traffic.

“I’ve done it before but nowadays I like to keep my phone in my pocket and not touch it until I’m finished driving,” said student Shane Gamble.

While texting seems taboo, most of those surveyed don’t view talking on a cell phone as being dangerous.

“I feel completely confident talking on the phone and driving, but not texting,” said Amanda Bowling, a student of UOA.

Bowling said cell phones should have controls to prevent texting while driving.

“We need to somehow come up with non-optional modes on phones to restrict texting while driving. That is the only way to truly stop it, in my opinion.”

While that technology might exist, Rosen said the Federal Communications Commission bans anything that would disable the ability of a phone to communicate. He blames pressure by the cell phone lobby.

Spicer said education is the key.

“I’m a big believer in education and I think education is power, knowledge is power,” said Spicer, “Yes in the driving schools we talk about it but it need to be talked about more in a community. When you know better you do better.”

Rosen said some of that education should come from the cell phone industry.

“The industry itself has not educated the general public on the use of the cell phone,” he said. “Today when you get your new cell phone, there is a little box on the cell phone that strictly says, ‘Don’t text and drive.’ That’s about the extent of the education.”

Spicer would reword that message: “Don’t die to text. It’s just not worth it.”

Yanssens has her own message.

“I lost my best friend because someone else didn’t think … they would be in an accident. Their irresponsibility and selfishness destroyed my life. I can’t bring him back, but I would do anything to have him back.”

Contributing to this article were Aubrey Barto and Jay Jackman.

By William Ludt

EUCLID, Ohio — A truck barrels through an intersection. The driver can be seen talking on a cell phone, and as he passes, so can his bright yellow license plates.

“There you go!” said Regina Spicer. “He’s on his phone, plus he has drunk driving tags.”

Spicer is a driving instructor at New Beginnings Driving School in Euclid. She agreed to go on a 45-minute drive with reporters from The News Outlet to see how many drivers she could spot using cell phones. They drove along Lakeshore Boulevard and 185th Street in the city.

This was part of a project looking at the dangers of distracted driving.

“So, he’s on his phone. He’s already not paying attention to what he was doing, plus he was in excess of the speed limit,” said Spicer. “So that shows you that the phone itself is distracting him, so he’s not paying attention to his speed within traffic. And he’s in a big truck.”

This encounter is at the five-and-a-half minute mark into the drive. Roughly two minutes before, Spicer spotted two other drivers using phones.

In all, 14 people were spotted.

According to Spicer, just about all generations use their phones while driving.

“It’s any age,” she said. “I’d say the percentage may increase with young drivers, but it’s across the board. I have eight adults in my remedial class now, and all of them use a phone. I had some feedback when I showed them the video of how easily they can get in to a collision and kill somebody.”

Spicer said that during a driving lesson, her main focus is on the student, but she also has to keep an eye out for erratic drivers for safety’s sake. She’s become adept at spotting those drivers.

“I have seen a lady on the freeway – driving, swerving – and when I pulled up next to her she had a baby in the backseat and she was on her phone,” she said.

At 17 minutes into the ride, the group pulls into a gas station at an intersection. They park and observe traffic passing under the traffic light.

“When you see people looking down, you know that they are on the phone,” said Spicer.

By Aubrey Barto

Driving and texting is a bad mix. TV ads say it. Studies say it. Even the law says it. Still, people – especially young people – do it.

A Virginia Tech studyfound texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. In a Pew Research Center study, 40 percent of U.S. teens have been in a car when a driver was using a cell phone and 50 percent of them admit to texting while driving.

In an effort to understand why people use cell phones while driving, The News Outlet surveyed 188 people on The University of Akron campus.

Most didn’t see talking on a cell phone as being as dangerous as texting on one, with 91 percent saying they have talked on a phone while driving and 65.4 percent saying they’ve texted while driving.

Talking on cell phones is so common that 97.9 percent said they’ve seen other drivers doing it, and 86 percent weren’t concerned about it.

Connor Jones said he uses his cell phone “anytime I get a call when driving.”

“I believe you can talk on a cell phone and still drive OK, but I hate to see people texting while driving because it is too dangerous,” said Sarah Wright.

Kevin Kane, said he uses his cell occasionally, “Maybe once every one to two weeks, usually only when people call me. I hate it. It distracts me physically and mentally.”

When asked if they were confident in their ability to multitask while driving, 47.3 percent said they were, while 50 percent saying they wouldn’t be confident.

Many said they use a hands-free device while talking on a cell phone.

One person, who didn’t give a name said he talked on a cell phone “daily, but I try to use a Bluetooth device.”

While this sounds safer, a 2004 AAA study found the use of hands-free devices while driving is actually more distracting than using a hand-held one.

People were more wary when it comes to texting while driving.

“I’ve done it before, but nowadays I like to keep my phone in my pocket and not touch it until I’m finished driving,” said Shane Gamble.

Amanda Kenepp said she texted twice while driving. “Until I realized how much more awful at driving I was when I texted.”

“I only text when I’m at a stoplight,” said Sarah Wright.

Five of the 188 said they’ve been in an accident resulting from cell-phone use.

“I was rear-ended at a stoplight by a person who was texting while driving,” said James Mathatas.

“Just two weeks ago, some idiot smashed into the back of me at 40-plus miles per hour while she was texting and sent me to the hospital for three days,” said Kyle Drachenberg.

Even knowing it is dangerous, some still text while driving.

“I feel completely confident talking on the phone and driving, but not texting. Yet I still do it,” said Amanda Bowling. “I think it’s extremely dangerous and we need to somehow come up with non-optional modes on phones to restrict texting while driving. That is the only way to truly stop it, in my opinion.”

The government, however, doesn’t allow for such restrictions.

Michael Rosen of Akron owns IC Cellular. He said the Federal Communications Commission bans interference with telecommunications between parties, meaning you cannot disable the ability for the phone to talk.

Hannah Reeser isn’t waiting for technology to step in.

“My main thing is why risk your life for something that can wait? Especially when one is driving at high speeds, not only is he/she risking his/her life, but are also risking those of everybody else driving around them.”

WKYC-TV