Are Beleaguered Workers Making Roadways Dangerous?
The dangers of distracted driving have made national headlines this year, as state after state has attempted to deal with the practice that studies say may be more dangerous than drunk driving. This fall, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood went so far as to host the first ever Distracted Driving Summit, aimed at bringing together transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement professionals and academics to discuss the growing problem. Even with all the attention shone on texting while driving and the use of cell phones or even laptop computers while behind the wheel, the issue does not seem to be going away. In fact, it is possible that the struggling economy and rising unemployment rate may even be exacerbating the problem, as workers feel pressured to get more accomplished in less time. Recently, in the latest in a series of columns exploring the phenomenon of distracted driving, the New York Times highlighted a number of workers from varying fields: salesmen, real
