Distracted Driving???

The Kansas City Star reported yesterday that a 58 year old man was killed in a one car accident near the intersection of Northeast Pleasant Valley Road and North Brighton Avenue in North Kansas City, Missouri. The car was eastbound on Northeast Pleasant Valley at approximately 2:50 p.m. and ran off the road and into a tree.

Although there could be a variety of reasons for the car leaving the roadway, distracted driving is certainly one of the potential causes of this tragic accident. The weather was great yesterday and the driver was not looking into the sun as he was traveling eastbound. Northeast Pleasant Valley Road in that area is a two-lane road with a 35 mph speed limit in what used to be a rural area that is now seeing some residential development. There is a very small shoulder and drop offs on each side of the road in some areas. If one is not paying attention, it is easy to catch a tire on the gravel shoulder and be steered off the road. Once a tire is pulled off the road, over correction can also occur.

Distracted driving is a huge problem today. Cell phones, texting, car radios and CD players all can cause us to momentarily lose our focus. All too often this can have deadly consequences.

Whatever the cause of this tragedy, it is an important reminder that we all need to keep our minds on the task at hand – driving.

In the words of the Doors song, Roadhouse Blues, “Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.” Interestingly, Jim Morrison came up with this line after riding with his girlfriend to a house they owned outside Los Angeles and she was driving erratically.