More and more multi tasking drivers are bringing real danger to the road
By Mac Daniel, Globe Staff | May 27, 2007
State Police talk about the time they pulled up to a guy in a fender-bender on Interstate 290 with his airbags deployed and the interior spattered in red. They rushed for their medical kits, only to find it wasn't blood they were looking at, but tomato sauce. The driver had been dining on pasta behind the wheel.
Just last week, State Police Lieutenant James A. Jones noticed a man trying to pull his dress shirt over his head, then continuing a wardrobe change, all while driving on Route 24. "I was about to turn on my blue lights when he stands up," Jones said. "He's taking off his pants."
Other motorists are doing crossword puzzles or reading books in stop-and-go traffic on Route 128, styling their hair while navigating the Massachusetts Turnpike, or pecking away on laptops perched on the passenger seat on the Southeast Expressway.
Troopers also say they often pull over teenagers for text messaging while driving. One motorist was spotted watching a DVD on his laptop. And there was the driver pulled over on Interstate 93 while trying to eat a bowl of cereal.
With an average commute of nearly 30 minutes each way in the Boston area and the growing popularity of BlackBerries, text messaging, iPods, and in-dash navigation systems complete with Zagat restaurant guides, law enforcement officials, safety researchers, and insurance executives are increasingly worried that the very technology designed to make life easier is actually endangering drivers.