Distracted Driving on Carbon Canyon Road

Studies have shown that, while drunk driving accidents on American roads and highways have dropped significantly in recent years, distracted driving, including cell phone talking and texting, has skyrocketed.  While there are laws against cell phone use and texting, there's that old saying about laws and enforcement. 

Driving home on Carbon Canyon Lane from Chino Hills a half hour or so ago and approaching Canon Lane, I noticed a black coupe starting to drift over into the westbound lane I was in.  I tend to watch for lots of potential problems when on the state highway for a bunch of reasons, so I gave a sharp honk as the left side of his car went over the double yellow line.

That's when the driver snapped his head up and then jerked the steering wheel to the right and abruptly pulled the car back into his lane.  Was it texting or something else?  Can't say for sure, but people typically have their head down while driving these days because of either a phone, a meal in their lap, or other reasons, none of which are good.

While there have been no major accidents in recent weeks, there are new skid marks in several places on Carbon Canyon Road, including a few that cross into opposing lanes, such as one at the middle of the S-curve in Chino Hills and a guardrail near the top of that area below Carriage Hills has increasing damage.

Anyone driving the state highway on a regular basis probably knows this already--nothing new here.  But, when someone drifts in your lane and a head-on collision is a distinct possibility, it's always good to remind ourselves to keep your eyes trained on what's ahead of you.