Ignore the Fax and Drive, Officials Urge

As commuters drive longer distances to get to work, the car increasingly becomes the office away from the office or the home away from home.

Cars no longer have just car phones; they are loaded with portable fax and photocopying machines and an assortment of other gadgets.

But those conveniences can prove dangerous and even deadly, state and local traffic officials said Friday, by distracting drivers and others around them. The gadgets are often the cause of congestion and accidents that affect millions of drivers on California streets and roads, they said.

To alert commuters to the problem, the officials kicked off the monthlong “Smooth Operator” campaign--the second year in a row the educational effort has been launched in San Diego. This year the campaign will expand to other heavily congested cities as well.

As part of the campaign, officials list some of the most common activities that distract drivers: Some people read newspapers or watch miniature televisions; others balance checkbooks or write notes as they drive; still others shave with cordless razors or apply makeup.

Then there are those who have the uncanny ability to put on socks or stockings while they drive, steering with some part of their body other than their hands, officials say.

Other activities include tailgating, slowing down to look at accidents, making frequent and unnecessary lane changes, improper merging and not following proper procedures after becoming involved in a collision.

Peter O’Rourke of the California Department of Traffic Safety said 92% of traffic accidents in California are caused by driver error.

Clarence Tuck, state chief of the California Highway Patrol, agreed. He urged drivers to “keep the hands on the wheel, the eyes on the road and the mind on driving.”

O’Rourke said that, although some states have laws that make it possible for drivers to be fined for taking part in distracting activities, California does not. If officers catch someone involved in some other activity while driving, the driver can be warned and receive a verbal reprimand but cannot be cited.

In California, O’Rourke said, “to be charged with reckless driving, you need to have committed a multitude of violations.”

He also said that California Department of Transportation figures show that 80% of all accidents occur within 20 miles of a driver’s home and at a speed of less than 35 m.p.h. As people get closer to home and more familiar with the road, they become complacent and less cautious, he said.