JRMC offers distracted driving talk

By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     UnityPoint Health–Jones Regional Medical Center hosted a LiveWell event on Aug. 15. The program, led by staff at UnityPoint Health–St. Luke’s Hospital, focused on distracted driving.

     Barb Devaney is the ER trauma coordinator at St. Luke’s. She’s been with the hospital for 26 years, taking on a variety of jobs, including intensive care and flight nurse. Erica Albaugh works with trauma prevention at St. Luke’s. She’s only worked for St. Luke’s for two years, but has a personal connection to distracted driving. Twelve years ago, Albaugh’s father was on his motorcycle, wearing a helmet, when he was hit and killed by a distracted semi driver.

     “My dad was killed instantly,” recalled Albaugh. “He was victim of distracted driving. He wasn’t here to walk me down the aisle; he wasn’t here to meet his grandson.”

     Devaney offered that between 2015-16, there were 85 deaths in Iowa due to distracted driving. In 2016, distracted driving accidents in Jones County amounted to three.

     “Youth get distracted easily,” she said, with a few soon-to-be drivers in the room.

     In a perfect world, there would be zero deaths due to distracted driving.

     Both Devaney and Albaugh take their talks on the road, visiting middle and high schools throughout Eastern Iowa.

     “We want to make an impact the next time kids get behind the wheel,” shared Devaney.

     They also give their talk to driver’s education classes.

     There are several reasons people between the ages of 14-20 die, with car crashes leading the list: accidents, drownings, heart disease, suicide, and homicide.

     While youth can also get distracted, Albaugh said adults are just as susceptible when behind the wheel.

     “If you see your parents or adults getting distracted,” warned Albaugh, “tell them to stop.”

     As of July 1, Iowa has a new law against texting while driving. This law applies to all ages of drivers. If caught, it’s a primary offense, meaning you will be pulled over if law enforcement suspects you of texting while driving. It’s pretty easy to prove; the officer just has to look at the time of the last text you sent compared to when they clocked you. This law also applies to taking photos with your cell phone while driving and surfing the web on your smart phone. The fine for texting while driving is $30, with additional court charges.

     “It can wait,” said Devaney, referring to the need to send a text. “No text is worth it.”

     It takes just 5 seconds for a driver to become distracted, taking his/her eyes off the road. Devaney said in that time, driving 55 mph, the driver could travel the length of a football field, all while being distracted.

     “One in four crashes involve a distracted driver,” she said, noting that the figure is now higher than when the stats came out.

     “Drivers on their cell phones can miss seeing up to 50 percent of their driving environment,” she added. This would include pedestrians, red lights, stop signs, etc. Devaney labels this as “inattentive blindness,” when a person is looking but isn’t actually taking in what’s around them.

     Albaugh said the most dangerous time in a person’s day is the time he/she spends in their vehicle.

     “A crash occurs every 5 seconds,” said Devaney. “Property damage occurs every 7 seconds. A personal injury, every 10 seconds; and a fatality, every 12 minutes.”

     She said serious injuries could happen to anyone, even when the vehicle is traveling at a low rate of speed, in a residential area.

     “It doesn’t matter how slow you’re going,” said Albaugh.

     There are three types of distracted driving:

     • Manual, meaning talking on the phone or listening to the radio

     • Visual, meaning being distracted by kids in the car or looking at the GPS

     • Cognitive, meaning daydreaming or talking to someone else in the vehicle

     “Safety is our number one lesson here,” concluded Devaney.

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