OPINION

If we know distracted driving kills, why are

we still doing it?
ASHLEY NUNES
SPECIAL TO THE GLOBE AND MAIL
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Ashley Nunes is a senior research associate at Harvard Law School. His research
explores how innovation affects markets.

Canadians worry about distracted driving and rightly so. Studies show that taking your
eyes off the road – even for a few seconds – dramatically raises the odds of a crash. In
2016, distracted driving was implicated in some 21 per cent of fatal accidents and 27 per
cent of serious injury collisions (instances where the car’s occupants were hurt but not
killed). The growing ubiquity of this phenomenon has alarmed legislators, law
enforcement organizations and safety advocacy groups who – keen to save lives – are
asking Canadians to stay focused on the road.

Not all driving distractions are created equal. Talking to a passenger is bad but not as
bad as reaching for your cellphone. The latter raises the odds of an accident nearly five
times compared to a driver focused solely on the road. Texting whilst driving also fares
poorly as does fiddling with the radio. Even though these actions mean taking your eyes
off the road for just a few seconds, at 75 kilometres per hour, that’s like driving across a
football field with your eyes shut.

And then there’s eating. So-called “dashboard dining” has long worried safety advocates
partly because drivers see eating and driving as being less risky. In case you’re
wondering, hot soups, burgers and ribs top the list for what not to indulge in while
driving. Coffee is equally bad, the consumption of which gives new meaning to the
adage, “don’t drink and drive.”

Laws aimed at curbing distracted driving do exist. Alberta bans drivers using cellphones,

texting and flossing teeth, even while stopped at a red light. These actions instantly
attract a $287 fine and three demerit points. Similar measures are in effect in Quebec
and British Columbia. Ontario goes the farthest, promising to not only slap distracted
drivers with a fine of up to $1,000 for a first offence, but also a three-day licence
suspension. Repeat offenders face a $2,000 fine and a longer suspension period (in
some cases, up to 30 days). Scared yet? If so, you’re in the minority.

It turns out that while we agree distracted driving is dangerous, we aren’t willing to give
it up. Nearly 50 per cent of Canadians admit to using cell phones while driving while 30
per cent report taking their eyes off the road to do things such as rummaging through
personal belongings, smoking and eating. Texting while driving has increased by 50 per
cent since 2010. During the same time period, support for banning cellphone use while
driving has fallen by 50 per cent. They say no text is worth your life. Canadians – it
would seem – feel differently.

So do Americans, Austrians and Spanish who also experience persistently high levels of
distracted driving-related fatalities. So why do we do it? Some say it’s because driving is
inherently boring. You get in your car, fire up the engine and experience the same
routine over and over again. Distractions offer drivers a much-needed break from the
monotony. Others, like The Globe and Mail’s Oliver Moore, say some distractions –
smartphones in particular – have become a quintessential part of everyday life.
Consumers are “too reliant on their smartphones to imagine being disconnected.” Such
explanations hold merit. But the real reason why distracted driving persists comes down
to a seldom discussed truth.

Governments spend millions each year warning the public about distracted driving.
Doing so – we are repeatedly told – will have, “devastating consequences on our roads,
sending a ripple effect into our homes, communities and places of work.” After all, what
can go wrong will, right? Wrong. When it comes to road safety, Murphy’s law doesn’t
hold. Instead, what can go wrong usually doesn’t. This reality – first observed by Yale
sociologist Charles Perrow - explains why most drivers – distracted at the wheel in
increasingly alarming numbers – still make it home in one piece. Their trips may be
riskier, yet they escape with their skin (mostly) intact.

The status quo message that “distracted driving kills” clearly isn’t resonating. Nor
should it. If such reasoning were true, our roads would be littered with victims and
Canadians would abandon distracted driving practices in droves. Instead of fines and
laws, we need to rethink how the risks posed by distracted driving are conveyed. This
means not only emphasizing that road safety is no accident but also communicating that
the absence of accidents doesn’t mean the roads are safe.

Distracted driving is admittedly en vogue even though it shouldn’t be. But if the practice
is to end, we must do more than repackaging the same old ideas. Public safety depends
on it.