AURORA | If you have ever wondered just how dangerous sending a text while barreling down the road is, the venerable American Automobile Association has an answer for you: Very.
Earlier this month the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a sprawling study — one the authors say is the “first epidemiological study published on this topic in more than 10 years” — that says using the phone while driving dramatically increases the likelihood of a crash.
According to the study, drivers using cell phones are two to eight times more likely to be involved in a crash than non-device-distracted drivers. Drivers talking on a cell phone are as much as four times more likely to be involved in a crash. And, the report said, the risk doesn’t change if someone opts for a hands-free device instead of holding the phone.
“Deep down, I think everybody appreciates just how dangerous it can be to text and drive or talk and drive,” said AAA Colorado spokesman Skyler McKinley said in a statement announcing the findings. “That so many drivers regularly engage in these deadly behaviors is evidence of a ‘It could never happen to me’ mindset. Today’s report should make one thing clear: Motorists are putting themselves, other road users, pedestrians, and property at significant risk every time they pick up the phone while driving.”
The foundation also noted an odd quirk about drivers: Most say they disapprove of texting and driving, but many still do it. While 80 percent of drivers said texting and driving is a serious threat, 33 percent admitted to doing it regularly.
“Any level of risk is too high when it comes to safety behind the wheel,” McKinley said. “Configure your GPS, check your notifications, and come up with a clever response to that cheeky Instagram comment before you hit the road. While driving, focus on just one task: Driving.”
Colorado lawmakers have tweaked the state’s rules for texting and driving in recent years and could do it again this legislative session.
Last year lawmakers upped the fines for texting while driving but adjusted the law so a driver was only in violation if they were driving recklessly while texting.
Aurora police Lt. Jad Lannigan, who oversees the department’s traffic section, said that tweak made the law a bit harder for officers to enforce.
Aurora police issued seven tickets for texting and driving in 2014, 37 in 2015 and 83 in 2016, according to the department’s statistics. But that number dipped last year to 55.
Earlier this month Sen. Lois Court (D-Denver) and Rep. Jovan Melton (D-Aurora) introduced a bill that would require drivers to use hands-free devices. If passed, the measure would mean all drivers — not just drivers younger than 18 — are barred from using their phones at all when they are behind the wheel. The bill has yet to come up for a committee vote.