6 days Ago
Louisiana state law enforcement and transportation officials stand as Jennifer Smith speaks before a crowd at the Louisiana State Police Training Academy on Thursday, April 3, 2025. Col. Robert P Hodges, from left, state Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple, Secretary of DOTD Joe Donahue, Lisa Freeman of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, and Smith.
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save In 2008, Jennifer Smith lost her mother, Linda Doyle, when a 20-year-old driver talking on a cellphone crashed into Doyle's car. "He didn't see the red light in front of him. He never touched his brakes.
He T-boned her car at about 45 miles per hour, killing her instantly," Smith said Thursday. But distracted drivers are not only irresponsible teenagers, she stressed. "He was simply doing what most of us do every day, having a simple conversation," Smith said.
"He had never been in trouble. Never had a speeding ticket, never had a parking ticket. He was talking to a neighbor about something he had found at a Goodwill store.
He was doing good." Smith, of Chicago, is now CEO of StopDistractions.org , a nonprofit organization with a goal educating the public on the dangers of distracted driving.
She spoke during presentation in Baton Rouge promoting April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Not just texting Distracted driving is much broader than just texting while driving. Drivers can have their attention pulled away by other minor activities, such as eating or drinking, reading a map, grooming, looking out at surroundings, and myriad distractions found on a phone, from taking photos, to watching videos, to changing the playlist.
According to Smith, many of these activities are so common that people might do one or more of them during their daily commute. But none of them are necessary in getting to where drivers need to go, she said. "Many don't see distractions as a threat," Smith said.
"What's especially painful is that this crisis is 100% preventable." According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving contributed to 8% of all traffic fatalities in 2021. Numbers in 2021 and 2022 show more than 3,000 deaths annually tied to distracted driving.
In Louisiana, preliminary numbers for 2024 show 180 roadways deaths and 1,295 injuries caused by distracted driving. "That's 180 empty seats and dinner tables, 1,295 families whose lives were turned upside down and countless friends and loved ones left grieving or caring for someone who may never fully recover," said Joe Donahue, secretary for Louisiana DOTD. According to NHTSA, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds.
At 55 mph, a vehicle travels the length of a football field in that time. Progress has been made, however. According to Donahue, since 2020 Louisiana has seen a 17% decrease in distracted driving.
New state legislation One of StopDistractions.org 's main goals is to seek changes in state laws that make being on a cellphone while driving a ticketable offense. Currently, 32 states have laws to this effect, but not Louisiana.
State law only prohibits drivers in their first year and bus drivers from being on handheld cellular devices while driving. Tim Temple, Louisiana Commissioner of Insurance, wants to change that. "During this year's legislative session, we want to introduce a bill like the one we had last year to address and reduce distracted driving by banning handheld wireless devices while driving," he said during Thursday's presentation.
Last year, Senate Bill 98, sponsored by Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, would have done just that, but was voted down during a third read in the House. What you can do Donahue suggests simply setting up everything you need before leaving your driveway: Put your destination in your GPS, set up a playlist, and send any necessary texts before you leave.
"Safety isn't just about enforcement, it's about personal accountability," Donahue said. "Every driver has the power to prevent a crash. Every turn is a chance to make the right choice.
" Temple also wants parents to model good behavior for their children. "They emulate. If they see you using a phone while driving or texting while driving, it's just a natural progression.
They're gonna think that that's OK," he said. Smith also urged drivers to enable telematics in their vehicles. This is driving data that your car reports back to your manufacturer on things like phone use, hard braking and distraction behind the wheel.
"This data, it's not just identifying those problems, it's helping drivers fix them," she said. "In states and pilot programs that use these telematics programs, we see measurable reductions in risky behaviors. Drivers become more aware, parents can see how their teens are driving, fleets are improving their safety records.
" She said, best of all, crashes are going down and lives are being saved..
