A father’s knowing message to distracted drivers
To most of us, distracted driving is just that, a distraction. We lean on the horn when the person in front of us, head buried in their ubiquitous cell phone, fails to move when the light turns green. Not to Joel Freedman. He knows better than most the dangers of distracted driving. It cost him his daughter. Feldman, an attorney from Springfield, started the Casey Feldman Foundation after his 21-year-old daughter was killed by a distracted driver. Casey was a pedestrian, trying to cross an intersection down the shore in Ocean City, N.J., when she was struck and killed by a delivery guy who admitted he was using his phone at the time.
That was 2009. Feldman has spent the last seven years speaking about the dangers of distracted driving.
He has his work cut out for him.
A study released last week by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts points out that citations issued by police for distracted driving are going through the roof, jumping 52 percent just in the last year and a whopping 172 percent since 2013.
The situation is especially acute here in the Philadelphia region. Among the top 10 counties in Pennsylvania with the highest number of distracted driving citations between 2013 and 2017 are Montgomery, Chester, Bucks, Delaware and Berks counties. Chester County was ranked fourth highest with a total of 963 given over that time period while Bucks County followed closely with 859 citations. Additionally, Delaware County gave out 659 citations over the five-year period and Berks County totaled 589.
Among the 67 counties in Pennsylvania, Montgomery County ranked highest in numbers of distracted driving citations from 2013 to 2017. The county totaled 1,695 citations over those years with the highest number of distracted driving citations coming in at 620 in 2017, up 64 percent since 2016, and up 254 percent since 2013.
Pennsylvania law prohibits drivers from texting while driving, which includes sending, reading or writing a text or email, as well as banning the use of headphones or earphones while the car is in motion. The fine for violators is $50.
As anybody who spends any time behind the wheel can tell you, the problem is getting worse, not better.
Try this the next time you are out and about.
Count the number of people you encounter who clearly are using their phone. Some days it seems like there are more people on their phones than not.
That, as Joel Feldman can sadly tell you, sometimes results in tragedy.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, sending or reading a text typically takes a driver’s eyes off the road for five seconds.
“At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.” NHTSA warned in a report on distracted driving.
Feldman is not surprised by the most recent statistics. And, he points out, it only gauges those who get caught. He believes the numbers of people using a phone while they are driving, in effect driving while distracted, is much larger.
“There’s no blood test for distracted driving,” Feldman admitted. “There are a lot of incidents when people are rearended, crossing the center line and they’ll never admit they’re on their phone. It’s vastly underreported.”
One of the programs Feldman has pushed since losing his daughter is called End Distracted Driving, which has amassed hundreds of speakers who educate people about the dangers of distracted driving.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Feldman will take part in no less than two dozen talks to students, parents and businesses before the end of the month.
His message is a simple one: He stresses why driving requires your full attention.
“Everybody has to admit there’s distracted driving out there,” the attorney points out. “All of us see it. How many of us are hypocrites and see and complain about other people doing it? That’s the issue.”
Feldman says he has seen firsthand the value of his work, in particular adults who at times can seem embarrassed when they realize how many of them use their cell phones despite knowing how dangerous it can be.
Feldman says he counts himself among them, admitting that before his daughter’s death he too was guilty of using his phone while behind the wheel.
Feldman’s goal is to get the message out there. He doesn’t want anyone else to endure a tragedy, losing a loved one as he did. He reminds young drivers how quickly their future can be snatched away.
“It lessens the tragedy of (Casey’s) death knowing I did something that will keep these kids safe,” Feldman said. “I am so fortunate to get to kids and adults all the time. I’m optimistic.”
We salute him for his efforts, honoring the legacy of his daughter.
And we invite others to heed his cause. Put down the phone. It can wait.