Conference on driving distractions

These days, driving on the road is more of a challenge than ever before. We don't need anymore distractions in cars making it worse. It's enough just to get from A to B without doing anything but just driving. Hey, what a novel idea, just driving!

North American conference aims to highlight distractions behind the wheel
at 11:48 on October 2, 2005, EST.
TARA BRAUTIGAM

TORONTO (CP) - Forget the cellphone. When it comes to inattention behind the wheel, traffic officers are encountering all sorts of new distractions, some of which pose more of a risk than your mobile.

"Inattentive driving is more of a risk than perceived," says Sgt. Cam Woolley of the Ontario Provincial Police.

"And the automakers aren't helping things by continually adding distractions to cars, right down to the Internet."

Drivers tapping away on their BlackBerries while traversing country highways and downtown side streets is a phenomenon officers are increasingly noticing, Woolley says.

It's that kind of evolving technology that causes concern for police, professors and politicians gathering this week in Toronto to discuss how to cut down on distracted driving, an under-reported cause of nearly a third of all car crashes, research shows.

The International Conference on Distracted Driving, the first of its kind in North America, aims to give distracted driving the social stigma impaired driving was given a generation ago.

"If you think back 50 years ago, nobody thought drunk driving was a problem," says Herb Simpson, president and CEO of the Ottawa-based Traffic Injury Research Foundation.

"They suspected it and it made common sense but there was absolutely no evidence to that effect."

While many are aware of the risks inherent with cellphone use while weaving in and out of traffic.....

Complete story here.[/color]