An answer is training

A proposal has been made to lower the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers in Washington from .08 to .05 percent.

About 37 percent of all crashes are alcohol related. Impaired driving is dangerous. Drugs such as marijuana and prescription medicines are all part of the impaired driving problem.

Another pernicious danger also exists on American roads.

It is that of distracted driving.

Although driving under the influence is dropping, distracted driving is rising. Use of cellular phones, dashboard maps, entertainment systems and all the other electronic distractions is increasing. That is on top of the more traditional distractions of drinking and eating.

Distracted driving accounts for 10 percent of all fatal crashes and 17 percent of all injury accidents.

These are widely used figures, but the National Safety Council disputes them. It says that texting and cell phone use account for roughly a third of all accidents, making distracted almost as dangerous as drunk driving. The big difference is that using cell phones or other devices while driving is much more socially acceptable than driving under the influence. These figures are bound to get worse.

Drivers of every age group are guilty of either impaired or distracted driving. No one generation owns the title.

Up and coming drivers need to be inculcated in the dangers of the road. They have to learn to look out for others as well as themselves.

In the past, students took driver training in schools. It included classroom and on-the-road education.

Now, many schools have opted out of training kids. Those who can afford it can take private training. For those who cannot, they must wait until they are 18. Then, without any training, they can pass the driver tests and hit the road.

Putting aside drugs, alcohol, electronic devices and all the rest, drivers need to know a lot and need to be trained to think a lot. Far too many accidents are caused by lack of awareness.

Passing on curves and hills and tailgating are problems and often make the news in the grimmest ways.

The beginning point and the common thread in all this is driver training. This is where problems can be first addressed and perhaps avoided.

New drivers of any age need structured, demanding training.

Legislation has helped. Social pressures have helped. Still, the most effective starting point is serious education on how to safely drive a vehicle.

Then, younger drivers may be able to convince their parents and grandparents to concentrate on the task at hand.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher