Public ad campaigns warning about how dangerous using a cellphone while driving is have not worked. Neither have news stories about horrible car accidents that cost people their lives. Even a Louisiana law prohibiting some handheld cellphone use is not enough to persuade a lot of drivers to put down their phones.
What is left to do to reduce distracted driving car crashes in Louisiana? Maybe extra big stop signs with blinking lights will help.
Will distracted drivers see bigger stop signs?
It sounds like a joke, but it isn’t. It’s exactly what officials in Ascension Parish are doing. They hope that larger signs with flashing lights on them will get a driver’s attention even if they are distracted by their phone.
Distracted driving is a serious problem in Ascension Parish. At one intersection alone, there have been 38 wrecks in the last six years. Several of them were fatal. But as the parish fire chief says, “Distracted driving is everywhere.”
Distracted driving is never safe
When someone drives and uses their phone at the same time, they are being unsafe. Distracted driving takes away your awareness, reduces your reaction time and affects your judgment. But habitual distracted drivers think they are the exception. They are sure they can drive and use their phones at the same time safely. But they are wrong.
You might be responsible and pay attention to the road when you are driving. But you can’t tell when someone else on the road is not being as responsible. A distracted driver can crash into you nearly anytime. If this happens or has already happened to you, you may be laid up for a long time recovering from your injuries. All because someone else could not wait to look at their phone until it was safe.