AAA says distracted driving contributes to one-third of S.C. crashes

Despite frequent warnings from law enforcement and other agencies, South Carolina motorists are still experiencing traffic crashes because of disracted driving.

Distracted driving, or inattention while driving, is listed as a contributing factor to about one-third of all South Carolina crashes that resulted in fatalities, injuries and property damage in 2006 and 2007, according to a AAA Carolinas press release.

Because of this, the agency launched a special advertising campaign in September to warn motorists of the dangers associated with distracted driving, AAA Carolinas Public Relations Manager Carol Gifford said.

“We did it because we wanted to draw attention to the dangers of distracted driving,” she said. “We think that use of a cell phone, whether to make a phone call or to text, is a big factor in distracted driving.”

Mobile phones are more dangerous than car radios or other passengers because cell phones are lot more prevalent, Gifford said. Cell phone usage — particularly text messaging — tends to take motorists’ mind and hands off of driving a vehicle.

“You have to think about what you’re doing and type,” she said. “You have to take at least one hand, if not two hands, off the wheel while you’re doing it, which makes it even more dangerous.”

AAA officials believe that texting while driving is so dangerous that legislative action must be taken to prohibit drivers from doing it, Gifford said.

Eight out of 10 crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes happened when drivers were distracted primarily by cell phones or Smartphones, according to AAA officials who sited a 2008 study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

The latest AAA campaign will feature two advertisements that will be posted at gasoline stations throughout five Palmetto State counties, including Horry, Gifford said.

The counties were chosen based on yearly AAA Carolinas analysis of crashes and injuries, according to the release.

The ads were placed at gasoline stations because those are places where all motorists eventually will stop.

“We think it’s a good place to get people’s attention,” Gifford said. “At that point, you are doing something with your car and you also have a free moment. We hope they (drivers) will think about driving and using a cell phone.”

AAA Carolinas has made the campaign a priority and may be expanding it to include the Pee Dee and other areas in the state, as well, she said.