In 2004, a woman in Michigan ran a red light while talking on a cell phone.  The driver’s vehicle slammed into another vehicle crossing with a green light.  The crash cost the life of a 12-year-old boy.  Witnesses told investigators that the driver was not looking down, not dialing the phone, or texting.  She was observed looking straight out the windshield talking on her cell phone.

Distracted drivers experience what researchers call inattention blindness, similar to that of tunnel vision.  Drivers are looking out the windshield, but they do not process everything in the roadway environment.   To read the story and learn more about inattention blindness, download the National Safety Council’s whitepaper.

In November 2011 the FMCSA issued a final rule on using cell phones by commercial motor vehicle drivers.  Read our blog article on that rule.  Dart encourages all drivers to keep the safety of themselves and others on the road as their number-one priority.  Please only conduct phone calls while safely parked to minimize distractions while driving.