Most drivers are familiar with the concept of careless driving tickets, but few stop to think about what careless driving really is or how it causes crashes. Careless driving is an umbrella term for a number of violations, including lane drifting, which can lead to head-on or sideswipe crashes. About 10,000 deaths occur annually when vehicles leave the roadway.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drifting is defined as “when a vehicle is moving in a generally straight line, but at a slight angle to the lane. The driver might correct his or her course as the vehicle approaches a lane line or other boundary, or fail to correct until after a boundary has been crossed. In extreme cases, the driver fails to correct in time to avoid a collision.” Whether the collision that occurs is head-on or sideswipe depends on the position of the vehicles and the orientation of the road, among other factors.

Lane drifting occurs due to driver error. Specific causes of lane drifting include:

• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  
• Drowsiness or falling asleep
  
• Speeding, especially around a curve
  
• Lack of alertness, including daydreaming, reaching for something in the vehicle, or looking at something outside of the vehicle
  

For drivers, remaining sober and alert and maintaining a speed appropriate for conditions help prevent lane drifting. Roadway engineering and in-vehicle technology offer support to drivers who do drift and increased protection for all road users.

NHTSA says that about 90% of all rural crashes with fatalities occur on two-lane roads. Two-lane roads in rural areas usually do not have medians to separate two-way traffic; with vehicles in opposing directions traveling in such close proximity to one another, the margin of error is small and the potential for tragedy is enormous. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), sideswipe or head-on crashes that occur when vehicles cross the centerline comprise approximately 20% of fatal crashes on rural two-lane roads and cause approximately 4,500 deaths every year. Many drivers are familiar with rumble strips along the right side of long stretches of highway; the rumble is both felt and heard when the vehicle’s tires drift onto the shoulder of the road. The IIHS advocates the addition of rumble strips along the centerlines of undivided rural two-lane roads.

In a report released on July 1, NHTSA said will determine whether or not lane-departure warning systems will be required on new vehicles beginning in 2011. Lane-departure warning systems alert drivers when their vehicle is leaving the lane; in some instances, the system has the capability of moving the vehicle back into the lane. IIHS says lane-departure systems could impact up to 483,000 crashes annually by helping vehicles stay on the road.

Labels: careless driving, careless driving ticket, vehicle safety

Drivers can receive careless driving tickets for a number of reasons. One such offense is reading while driving, which is more common than many people think. Though difficult to prove unless a law enforcement officer observes it, this behavior is a dangerous distraction that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports increases drivers' chances of being involved in motor vehicle crashes by three times.

One reason that people read while driving is text messaging, which has received considerable media attention recently. Though the act of sending a text probably receives more coverage, the act of reading received texts is just as distracting. Drivers who read a text message not only physically take their eyes off the road, they take their cognitive attention off driving to process the message and perhaps formulate a response to it before beginning to type. Drivers who read text messages are just as subject to emotional reactions of surprise, happiness, or anger as those who talk on cell phones, which can mentally distract the driver for several minutes or even for the rest of the driving journey.

Reading maps and directions is also distracting for drivers, and the act of doing so is often accompanied by the process of looking for an address, the stress of being lost, and/or the confusion of driving in an unfamiliar area. If the driver is on vacation or a business trip, she or he may even be driving an unfamiliar vehicle. Again, the physical act of reading combined with mental and emotional distress creates a dangerous driving distraction. Drivers who need to consult a map or directions should pull over in a safe place; this will also give them time to orient themselves to their surroundings before continuing the trip. Having a passenger who can act as a navigator is also helpful.

Commuters to work or school often face long driving trips with heavy traffic. At times they may not be able to move at all. These drivers are often tempted to distract themselves from the wait by reading books and newspapers. Unfortunately, some of these drivers continue to read once traffic is moving again. The risks of doing this in heavy stop-and-go traffic are obvious. Books can be purchased on CD and podcasts can be downloaded from a variety of websites, and if the subject matter is too distracting, the driver can turn it off and concentrate on driving.

A defensive driving course may be required to satisfy a careless driving ticket; the course will also help drivers who have become complacent to reeducate themselves about the importance of remaining fully alert while driving.

Labels: careless driving, careless driving ticket, distracted driving, reading while driving