ST. LOUIS - Representatives from trauma services at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Missouri Highway Patrol spoke out May 16 about the increase in fatalities resulting from mobile phone use while driving and the dangers of distracted driving. Also joining them at the press conference was a University of Missouri professor who lost her son in a “distracted driving” crash.

Such incidents are on the rise. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 20% of all injury accidents in 2009 were due to distracted driving with a dramatic increase in fatal accidents from 10% in 2005 to 16% in 2009. Much of the increase is attributed to the growing use of texting in the U.S., which has increased from just over 12 billion monthly texts in 2006 to over 196 billion texts in 2011.

“Studies say texting and driving can cause you to react eight times slower than when someone has a .08 blood alcohol level,” said Douglas Schuerer, MD, Washington University trauma surgeon at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “We have the largest trauma center in Missouri, and we see time and time again that texting and driving is actually more dangerous than drinking and driving.”

In addition, Dr. Lori Popejoy, an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing, tearfully spoke about the death of her 16-year-old son Adam in a distracted driving accident.

In discussing the accident, Popejoy said, “It is our fervent wish as a family that others do not face a life of unfulfilled hopes, dreams and empty seats at the Thanksgiving table.”

To find out how you can get involved to prevent distracted driving, visit www.distraction.gov.

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Barnes-Jewish Hospital is 1,288 bed teaching hospital affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. The hospital has a 1,763 member medical staff with many recognized as "Best Doctors in America." Barnes-Jewish is a member of BJC HealthCare, which provides a full range of health care services through its 13 hospitals and more than 100 health care sites in Missouri and Illinois. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is also consistently ranked as one of America’s “Best Hospitals” by U.S.News & World Report.

Contact:
Jason Merrill
314-286-0302
[email protected]