Anita's Close Call Story - That Little Voice

Anita of Springfield, Mo., asked to share her story. It sounds familiar to many of us who have struggled with the temptation to multi-task while driving. If you have a story about transportation that you would like to share, please contact us at socialmedia@modot.mo.gov.

It was a typical Tuesday; the work day is over and like a lot of families it’s time to hustle the kids to evening activities. I pick up my son around 5:30 pm and head to the high school. He wants to go to the game. I need to pick my daughter up at 6:00 pm from dance class so the timing is just right. After dropping him off at the game it’s onto dance. Taking Battlefield Road to Highway 65 seems to be the logical route so that’s the direction I choose. Lots of traffic, stop and go, it’s evening rush hour. Bummer, this is going to take awhile.

To pass the time I decide to make a call. I’ll just maneuver through traffic while chatting, something I do often, and the 10 minute drive to dance class won’t seem so daunting. I grab my phone. But as I’m turning onto the exit ramp, a little voice in my head suggests I probably should pay attention to what I’m doing. It’s not like I had anything earth shattering to discuss, so I toss the phone down onto the passenger seat.

I merge onto Highway 65, within seconds traffic is up to full speed. Bumper to bumper, vehicles switching lanes, you know the drill. I’m staying in the right lane as I’ll be exiting shortly onto James River Freeway. Like most people behind the wheel at this time my mind is reviewing the day’s events and calculating what’s left to do.

I glance ahead and notice the car in front of me is breaking, so I tap mine too but quickly let off in order to keep the pace. A fraction of a second passes, I glance again and realize the car isn’t breaking; it’s at a dead stop. Moving at nearly 65 mph, I slam on my breaks. The car in front of me juts out to the right shoulder just in time to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of it and to avoid being hit by me. My view instantly shifts to the rear view mirror, and in the next second I notice a pickup truck behind me and hear its screeching breaks. The truck swerves to the right shoulder to avoid impact and I manage to come to a jolting stop with only inches to spare. After breathing a quick sigh of relief I then see a huge truck barreling toward me... I close my eyes and brace for impact.

In these few seconds of shear panic, the all-important moments of my life, my family, my kids, all of it really did flash before my eyes. I couldn’t believe this is how it was all going to end. Was I ready?

No impact. My eyes open and see that the truck has stopped. I exhale, and begin to slowly move forward. About half a dozen car lengths ahead I see what’s caused this near miss. It’s a plastic chair partially blocking the right hand lane. I’m disturbed that this little plastic chair almost caused a terrible accident. I exit onto James River Freeway and say a few thank-you prayers.

Suddenly, it becomes clear to me the message this close call had truly intended. The plastic chair hadn’t almost caused the accident. It wasn’t about the chair at all.
If I had made the choice to make that call seconds earlier, I would have been distracted; I would not have been able to stop. If anyone involved would have been talking, texting or updating their social media status, they would have not been able to stop. This accident was avoided simply because I listened to the voice that whispered to me, "Pay attention."

Using our phones while driving is manageable, right? Accidents won’t happen to us, we’re good drivers, right? Wrong. Distracted driving can cause serious accidents, injuries, and death. It happens every day.

I encourage you to give merit to the little voice you hear and think twice the next time it nudges you, as mine did. Doing so could very possibly could save your life and the lives of others.

Anita

Cell Phone Use Banned for Commercial Motor Vehicles

With the start of the new year, commercial motor vehicle drivers will need to put their phones down when behind the wheel.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are implementing a ban for drivers of  commercial motor vehicles and buses. School bus drivers and those driving vehicles designed to carry nine to 15 passengers are included.

These drivers are banned from reaching for, holding or dialing a mobile phone while driving.

Do you know a CMV or bus driver? A hands-free device may be a great holiday gift idea.

Find the full federal regulations at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-02/html/2011-30749.htm.

Cell Phone Chronicles

Now I know many Missourians think you have it bad ever since the text messaging law went into effect last summer. But Illinois, my friends, is a whole different ball game.
One night, while driving home from the city after a night out with some friends, who else but a Chicago police officer pulls me over while stopped at a red light. And why was I pulled over? Two words: cell phone.
It was brought to my attention that night that the city of Chicago prohibits the use of a mobile device while operating a motor vehicle, PERIOD. Not only are drivers banned from placing or accepting calls without a hands-free device, but they are also restricted from composing or reading messages. These messages can be instant messages, text messages and even emails and Internet content.
Although I was annoyed with being stopped for a cell phone violation, the truth is that I try not to make a habit of using my phone in any way while driving. It is rather distracting.
I must admit that Missouri's new text messaging law somewhat bothers me simply because it only applies to those 21 and under. However, after being stopped I now understand that the true goal behind it is to make Missouri roads safer. Who can truly argue with that?
No matter how mad I must have been after receiving a ticket for using my cell phone, looking back on the experience, I am happy that I did. This year, the National Safety Council reported that 3 percent of all traffic accidents could be caused by texting. This year alone Missouri has experienced about 562 traffic accidents caused by cell phone use.
These numbers are pretty serious and I certainly do not want to contribute to them in any way. And as much as it pains me to see past the irritation that texting and other traffic laws may bring, it made me feel better to think that one less person texting while driving could save one, two or even three more lives.

MoDOT Upgrades Mobile Web Presence

First of all, if you're reading this while driving, put down your phone. While we want you to know about MoDOT's new mobile Web site for people on the go, we don't want you to try it out when you should be focusing on driving.

Here's what's going on. While a lot of "smart phones" can view MoDOT’s Web site just fine right now, many devices still have trouble. To make it easier for everyone, we’re offering two options. When you go to MoDOT.org on your mobile device, you'll now see six simple buttons instead of the whole Web site with all its links and images. The buttons link you to Gateway Guide, Kansas City Scout, a statewide road conditions text report, career opportunities, a form to report a road concern and a site where you can contact us. You can tap on what you want to see and not have to expand the page, zoom in or fiddle with tiny links.

On the other hand, if you’re one of those folks who has no problem with all that stuff and want the site the way it used to be, just click on "Full HTML" at the bottom. You’ll go back to site the way it was before.