Emergency doctor: Zero-tolerance for distracted driving

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Updated: July 13, 2011 2:29AM

LIBERTYVILLE — Working in the busy Level 1 Trauma Center at Advocate Condell Medical Center, pediatric emergency physician Dr. Charles Nozicka has treated scores of accident victims resulting from distracted driving.

Nozicka says it’s heartbreaking to see the devastating effects especially on teens. The busy summer driving season heightens the threat.

“As an emergency physician and father of four, the issue of distracted driving has been a key component of my professional and parenting practice,” Nozicka said. “Life does not supply our teen drivers with a ‘reset button.’ Studies have shown that distracted driving is as dangerous as driving while intoxicated.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that involved distracted driving in 2009.

The biggest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group — 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving.

The agency says there are three main types of distraction; taking your eyes off the road, taking your hands off the wheel and taking your mind of what you’re doing. Texting is the most deadly because it combines all three distractions simultaneously.

“We must adopt a no tolerance attitude on this issue,” Nozicka said. “We have to pay attention to the task at hand. Put the cell phone down. Stop texting and driving. One accident can change a life forever.”

Nozicka said a new statewide campaign that is raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving is worth checking out.

The Drive Now-Text Later initiative by the Illinois tollway warns of the dangers of texting while driving hoping to reduce the number of cellphone-related accidents on Illinois roadways.

“I urge all drivers and parents of drivers to visit the site to learn they can help raise awareness,” Nozicka said.