Distracted driving presentation

Last month, Hot Springs County High School was named champion in the 2016 Battle of the Belts, a competition that pitted them against Worland to see which community's drivers showed most improvement when it comes to wearing seatbelts.

But, there's much more to driving safely than buckling up, and during Homecoming Week members of the Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association spoke about distracted driving.

Frank Chapman said distracted driving is not just a problem with teens, as he sees many adults driving while doing other activities. But, he believes teens are key in keeping distracted driving from happening. He suggested the possibility of having a distracted driving competition with Worland or another community, similar to the Battle of the Belts.

Chapman said he's far from innocent when it comes to distracted driving, as he's checked his phone and programmed his GPS. Students provided other examples of driving distractions, such as eating, loud music, annoying passengers, animals or the popular Pokemon Go game.

"Any activity," Chapman said, "that diverts a driver's attention from the task of driving is a distraction." There are different types of distractions, he explained, that people face every day. There are visual distractions, such as looking down to change the radio or watching something on the side of the road. Having a busy mind is a cognitive distraction, and Chapman noted this could happen even if drivers have their eyes forward and their hands on the wheel.

Throughout the presentation, stories were shown about those who died or were severely injured by distracted drivers who took their eyes or attention off the road for just a split second, as well as their families and friends. Chapman said no parent wants to bury their child.

Today, Chapman said, drunk driving is socially unacceptable and wrong, and he challenged the students and others of their generation to make distracted driving also socially unacceptable.

Grant Lawson said there weren't cell phones when he was younger, but he still had a number of wrecks because of mental distractions. Distracted driving is not a joke, he said, and he wants students to make an effort to make sure they're safe and focused when behind the wheel. As a lawyer, he often finds himself travelling and grabbing the phone right away as calls, e-mails and texts come in. He noted his son reminds him to put it down, and in the same way teens can help set the example for other drivers by choosing to put their phones and other distractions away.

When it comes to field of vision, Lawson explained it is severely narrowed when someone is talking on the phone when driving, along with the driver's notice of things such as people walking out into the street. He added it has been shown the distraction level of talking on the phone and driving is similar to driving with a .08 blood-alcohol level.

Every day, Lawson said, everyone has the choice to drive distracted or not, and passengers also have the choice as to whether they will allow the driver to be distracted.

Bobbi Overfield admitted she has driven distracted, noting she has children who are always reminding her. She was hopeful the presentation, particularly during Homecoming Week and its distractions, would be beneficial for the students.

Overfield said those who don't text and drive should be commended, and they can be influential in helping their friends and family to do the same. She noted studies have shown that people respond well to being asked not to drive distracted, so long as those requests are made in a respectful manner. Overfield suggested using steps to acknowledge the behavior, voicing concerns and offering solutions so a person does not have to drive distracted.

"Each and every one of you has the power to save lives," by speaking up, she said, later adding deaths and injuries as the result of distracted driving are senseless and sad, and the presentation was to help ensure the students do not end up on either side of such stories.

"There's a difference between lucky drivers and safe drivers," Overfield said. "What will you choose to be?"