There’s been a lot of talk in the news this morning about Toyota recalls and gas pedals that stick in rare instances, causing uncontrollable acceleration (defeated simply by shifting to neutral or turning the engine off).  Toyota has announced their solution to the problem and is ramping up an aggressive effort to modify the affected vehicles this week.  Still, the media has no trouble finding people swearing up and down that,  despite never experiencing this issue in their own Toyotas, they are getting rid of their Toyotas and will never, ever buy another one again. That’s a shame.

What has Toyota done about this problem?

Toyota issued a recall of several MILLION vehicles.  Then they expanded that recall to a couple MILLION more vehicles potentially affected by this issue.  They ordered dealerships to stop selling any of these models and they shut down production worldwide.  Their entire organization came to a screeching halt, barring the pursuit of a solution to this problem. Is that not impressive?  Compare that to how GM, as part of their bankruptcy filing after receiving billions of taxpayer bailouts, is legally excused from having to honor recalls which might come up for vehicles which they made prior to filing bankruptcy.  That’s right.  If a serious, life-threatening defect is discovered on GM vehicles made up until the end of 2009, GM is not legally obligated to address them because, technically, it’s a different company now.

But people aren’t thinking about that.  They’re up in arms about the potential of meeting their untimely demise in a fiery fireball of flaming I-can’t-stop napalm immolation.  It was said on NPR this morning that the LA Times and “an auto safety organization” conducted a study that found  19 deaths have been caused by sticking accelerator pedals in Toyotas in the last decade. That’s unfortunate and what I’m about to suggest is in no way meant to marginalize those lost lives, but talking on cell phones causes nearly 25% of all car accidents today.

In 2008 alone, almost 6,000 people were killed, and a half MILLION injured in crashes related to driver distraction. Where is the public outrage and media witch hunt for this problem?

Toyota: In rare instances, the accelerator can be come stuck, resulting in uncontrollable acceleration in some models.  They had to recall over 5 million vehicles because they are the largest auto maker in the world.  In spite of the fact that every vehicle sold comes with an owner’s manual which details what to do in this situation – going back to the late 80s – and irrespective of common sense which would suggest that you shift the car into neutral or simply turn the engine off, and even further, with a media fueled blind eye to the steps being taken by Toyota to resolve this issue, people are still getting all riled up, as if Toyota is some kind of evil empire secretly out to kill them.

It’s more likely that these people complaining about their Toyotas will kill someone because they’re talking on their cell phones while behind the wheel.

The statistics speak for themselves…

• Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents.
• One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States send text messages while driving.
• In 2008 almost 6,000 people were killed and a half-million were injured in crashes related to driver distraction.
• At any given time during daylight hours in 2008, more than 800,000 vehicles were driven by someone using a hand-held cell phone.
• 4 out of every 5 accidents (80%) are attributed to distracted drivers. In contrast, drunk drivers account for roughly 1 out of 3 (33%) of all accidents nationally.
• Texting while driving is about 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated.
• People who text while driving are 23% more likely to be in a car accident.
• A study of dangerous driver behavior released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that of 1,200 surveyed drivers, 73% talk on cell phones while driving. The same 2007 survey found that 19% of motorists say they text message while driving.
• In 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 10% of drivers are on handheld or hands free cell phones at any given hour of the day.
• A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Motorists found that motorists who use cell phones while driving are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
• In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.
• According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, drivers talking on cell phones are 18% slower to react to brake lights. They also take 17% longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked
• Of cell phone users that were surveyed, 85% said they use their phones occasionally when driving, 30% use their phones while driving on the highway, and 27% use them during half or more of the trips they take.
• 84% of cell phone users stated that they believe using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of being in an accident.
• The majority of Americans believe that talking on the phone and texting are two of the most dangerous behaviors that occur behind the wheel. Still, as many as 81% of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving.
• The number of crashes and near-crashes linked to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.
• Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.

This is a sad testament to our society.  An act which is that cause of TWICE as many accidents each year than DRUNK DRIVING is commonplace and shrugged off, while the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world, who grew to that level by building safe, reliable vehicles which hold their value and include the one eco-fashion statement that everyone and their brother just has to have (the Prius) is caned by the media and sheep who probably bought the cars for the extensive multi-media and wireless connectivity in the first place.

Using your cell phone while driving is more dangerous than ANY Toyota could EVER be, people.

Food for thought.

In the glovebox:

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