According to a recent KSL article, rule breakers are responsible for fatal crashes. The five top things that cause fatal crashes are “Speeding, not wearing seatbelts, driving under the influence, distracted driving and drowsy driving.” According to Colonel Daniel Fuhr, with the Utah Highway Patrol, “‘Seventy-percent of people who die on Utah roadways are not wearing a seatbelt. Absolutely preventable . . . Speeding, preventable. Drowsy driving? Preventable. Distracted driving, texting and all that? Preventable, Drunk driving? That is absolutely preventable. . . . And if people obeyed the laws . . ., we would have zero fatalities in the state of Utah.” www.ksl.com.
One certainly can assume that the five car crash in St. George, Utah on Tuesday must have been caused by distracted driving. According to a St. George News article, a “five-car crash occurred at the intersection of 100 South and 700 East Tuesday morning when a car ran a red light.” The red car running the red light crashed into a blue minivan waiting in the intersection to make a turn. The crash was so severe that four of the five cars involved in the crash had to be towed from the crash site. If the driver were paying attention to his or her driving, he or she certainly would have seen a red light.
We encourage everyone to remember how important it is to keep your attention focused on your driving. Put down the phones. The call can wait. The text message will wait. I wonder if the manufactures of cell phones shouldn’t program them so that if you are traveling at a speed in excess of 10 mph, your phone automatically shuts down unless you take affirmative steps to override the shut down. This certainly may help reduce the number of accidents and crashes which result in lost lives and damaged futures.
