‘The drunk driving of our time’: Teens must now watch distracted driving video to get learner’s permit
High school students eager to get their learner’s permit will be required to fulfill an additional requirement: Watching a video about distracted driving.
“Make no mistake, distracted driving is an epidemic in America. It is the drunk driving of our time,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said last week while announcing the “One Road. One Focus” public safety campaign.
The campaign will include requiring teens watch the video when applying for a learner’s permit, as well as billboards warning about the consequences of taking your eyes off the road and more police patrols.
Nearly 3,300 people were killed and more than 300,000 injured last year in vehicle crashes involving distracted driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Drivers ages 15 to 34 are the most likely to be distracted at the time of fatal crashes, Giannoulias noted.
“Despite understanding the dangers, people still give in to the temptation to pick up their phone while behind the wheel,” he said. “(The campaign) seeks to spark a cultural shift in our collective behavior to make Illinois roads safer and save lives.”
The effort coincides with April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Distracted driving involves any activity that takes a driver’s eyes, hands and mind off the road, including talking on the phone, texting, putting on makeup, eating, and using dashboard controls, Giannoulias said.
Rockford resident Connie Onley spoke about the death of her ex-husband and father of her two children in June 2018. The 47-year-old man was crossing the street when a 16-year-old who was texting behind the wheel struck him.
“He was very energetic and loved to play with the kids,” Onley recalled. “He was just a big kid himself. He talked to the kids daily just to see how they were doing.”
Giannoulias noted “distracted driving remains socially acceptable for so many of us. That’s why we need to do more to stigmatize ‘intexticated’ driving.”
The short video features young drivers getting behind the wheel and an older man who’s on his phone while driving, along with the aftermath of a crash.
The more than 165,000 Illinois high school students seeking their learner’s permit this year will be required to watch the video first.
The state is using $77,000 in federal funds on additional secretary of state police distracted driving patrols to monitor high-volume crash areas.