Drivers on Cell Phones Threaten Safety of Bicyclists

If you’ve ever seen someone yapping away on a cell phone while navigating an SUV full of children on a congested highway, swerving in and out of the lanes, you know how dangerous talking and driving can be. Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who are amazingly adept at multitasking.

And of course you’re one of those people, right? You can totally handle a business transaction with a client or an argument with your boyfriend while simultaneously operating a two-ton hunk of deadly machinery.

Except that you can’t. Nobody can. In fact, talking and driving – even hands-free – has been found to be just as dangerous as drunk driving. That puts us all at risk on the roads – but bicyclists are especially vulnerable, and one NRDC blogger points out the negative impact that could have on the environment.

If our streets aren’t safe and perceived as such, it will only be that much harder to convince people to leave their perceived fortresses-on-wheels and walk or bicycle instead.  Safety is one of the main arguments of the Complete Streets coalition (NRDC is a member) for making roadways more accessible to all types of users, not just drivers (”complete streets improve pedestrian safety” is the first-mentioned reason offered in the Coalition’s FAQs explaining its agenda).

Too true. There is absolutely nothing that anyone could be calling you about that can’t wait for you to at least pull into a parking lot. Do you really want to find out that grandpa kicked the bucket in the middle of rush hour traffic?

Don’t talk and drive – it’s really, really simple.

Link [NRDC]
Photo credit: Flickr user TalkingDC

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