New program would offer class in
lieu of $110 ticket.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

The Beaverton Police Department wants to increase public awareness about distracted driving and especially the dangers of using a cell phone while driving. As of today, when people get stopped by Beaverton PD officers for violating Oregon's cell phone law, they will be given the option of going through a Distracted Driving Diversion Program.

Here's more from Beaverton PD Public Information Officer Mike Rowe:

"This new program provides drivers who have been stopped and issued a citation for using a mobile communication device an opportunity to attend an educational class. The class has an emphasis on distracted driving with a focus on the use of a cell phone. If you choose to take the Distracted Driving Diversion class, pay the diversion fee of $85.00, and successfully complete the class. The case will be dismissed and there will be no conviction on your driving record."

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The Oregon legislature made a strange move on Monday that is very likely to make Portland roads less safe for everyone. By a vote of 19-11, the Senate passed a bill that adds yet another exception to the state's existing cell phone law. Senate Bill 294, sponsored by Senator Larry George (R-Sherwood), allows a taxicab driver to use a "mobile communication device", a.k.a. cell phone, while driving.

This is despite widespread evidence that using a cell phone while driving is very dangerous.

SB 294's sponsor, Sen. Larry George (yes that Senator) got all 14 of his fellow Republicans to join him in supporting the taxicab exemption. The five Democrats who voted in favor of the bill included; Lee Beyer, Chris Edwards, Betsy Johnson, Ernie Roblan, and Chip Shields.

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From Ford website.

I was happy this morning to find a statement from U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood's office that his war on distracted driving now includes new regulations for automakers. The proposals come as President Obama's just-released transportation budget includes $330 million to combat the problem.

For the past few years, I've been disturbed at the trend to turn cars into one big gadget. Automakers, scared that their vehicles can't compete with consumers' growing adoration of smartphones and other devices, now offer all sorts of phone-like conveniences on-board. The result? More distraction, more crashes, more deaths and injuries.
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The City of Portland has announced the first location for enhanced enforcement of distracted driving. PBOT will work with the Portland Police Bureau to conduct an "enforcement mission" at the intersection of SW Barbur Boulevard, SW Taylors Ferry Road, and SW 41st Avenue this coming Wednesday (7/20).

The effort is part of the "StreetSmart: Go Safe" campaign, that PBOT launched last month.

PBOT data shows that this intersection is a high-crash location. It was also selected because of citizen complaints of motor vehicle operators disobeying the "No Turn on Red" and driving in bike lanes to maneuver around stopped cars. (more...)

An interesting big of information from the US DOT that could have some influence on local policy:

New research shows enforcement cuts distracted driving

Pilot Programs in Syracuse, NY and Hartford, CT Significantly Curb Texting and Cell Phone Use Behind the Wheel

SYRACUSE – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced dramatic reductions in distracted driving in Syracuse, New York, and Hartford, Connecticut, after two pilot projects measured the effect of increased law enforcement coupled with high-profile public education campaigns.

“These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents.”

Each program, which was supported by $200,000 in federal funds and $100,000 from the state, examined whether increased police enforcement along with paid advertising and news media coverage could reduce distracted driving. The pilot efforts used “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other” as the media campaign theme and were structured similarly to the highly-successful national seat belt campaign, “Click It or Ticket.”

During four periods of stepped up enforcement over the past year, Syracuse police issued 9,587 citations for driver violations involving talking or texting on cell phones while operating a vehicle. During the same period, police in Hartford, Connecticut, issued 9,658 tickets for illegal phone use.

Before and after each enforcement wave, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) actively observed cell phone use and conducted public awareness surveys at driver licensing offices in the two cities, which found:

In Syracuse, New York because of high-visibility enforcement – both handheld cell phone use and texting behind the wheel have declined by one-third.

In Hartford, Connecticut, where researchers initially identified drivers talking on their cell phones at twice the frequency (which left more room for improvement), there was a 57 percent drop in handheld use and texting behind the wheel dropped by nearly three-quarters.
“The success of these pilot programs clearly show that combining strong laws with strong enforcement can bring about a sea change in public attitudes and behavior,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “We applaud the work of the men and women of the Syracuse and Hartford police forces, and call on state legislatures, law enforcement and safety advocates across the nation to follow their lead.”

NHTSA plans to test this same three-part formula – tough laws, strong enforcement, and ongoing public awareness – at the state-wide level next.

In 2009, nearly 5,500 fatalities and another half million injuries resulted from crashes involving a distracted driver. Overall, distraction-related fatalities represented 16 percent of total traffic fatalities in 2009.

Nationwide, 34 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have enacted texting bans. Nine states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands have prohibited all hand-held cell phone use while driving.

Click here to see the NHTSA report on the enforcement programs (PDF) in Syracuse and Hartford. To learn more about NHTSA’s efforts on distracted driving visit www.distraction.gov.

Distracted driving is arguably the most important traffic safety issue facing America today. Amazingly, while we have many advocates and other smart people working to address the issue, the auto industry seems to be promoting it by turning cars into rolling computers.

A few things came across my desk this morning that show how these two trends — getting tough on distracted driving on one hand, while promoting it on the other — continue to be at odds with each other.
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The Oregonian reported yesterday the City of Portland will pay $338,477 to settle a distracted driving lawsuit. The suit involved a police officer who glanced at his on-board computer and did not see an 80-year old woman walking across the street in front of his car. The woman suffered serious injuries and spent five days in the hospital.

In light of the settlement, The Oregonian reports that the city's risk management supervisors have "asked the police bureau to examine its training to ensure other officers aren't distracted by the in-car computers."
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If marketing campaigns and PSAs don't curb distracted driving and we lack the resources to enforce laws, how will we ever learn that driving a multi-ton vehicle on a road shared with people walking and biking is an extremely serious responsibility?

As we struggle to figure out why an "alarming" amount of people are being killed while walking on our roads here in Oregon, and we mourn the death of a 23 month old who was hit while crossing a North Portland street yesterday (was being pushed in a stroller), I want to share the concept of "strict liability" that is current practice in the Netherlands. (more...)

The Oregon Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (OBPAC) has sent a formal letter to the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC, a Governor-appointed body that advises the Oregon Department of Transportation) urging them to step up their efforts to educate the public about the dangers of distracted driving and to support a ban on the use of cell phones while driving and bicycling.

In the letter, dated March 16 and signed by committee Chair Jerry Norquist, the OBPAC "urges" the ODOT to support the agenda of the National Safety Council, a group calling for governors and legislators in all 50 states to ban cell phone use while driving. The OBPAC also wants ODOT to add information about the dangers of distracted driving to the DMV manual for both commercial and non-commercial road users. (more...)