Distracted drivers target of Quispamsis student's science project

Benjamin d'Entremont says he found inspiration for his science fair project during drives with his family.

Hebegan noticing the unusual habits of grown-ups in other cars, especially at intersections where the lights would turn green but their cars weren't moving.

The 13-year-old undertook a study of more than 500 drivers to learn how many were distracted.

"Well often when I'm driving I see a lot of people that are texting," he said.

"It really bothers me when the light goes green and they don't go. Sometimes we're waiting there for five seconds and it doesn't seem that long, but when you're in a rush sometimes it really gets on your nerves."

We're in a very mobile time. A lot of people aretextingon the road, now, more than you'd think.- Benjamin d'Entremont, Grade 8

So began the Grade 8 student's project on distracted driving for this year's science fair at Quispamsis Middle School.

He knew he needed to approach the subject scientifically and collect hard data, so he mapped out a plan.

"I thought that if I tested at least 500 vehicles in my area, in Quispamsis, Rothesay and Saint John, that I would find that at least half of the cars that are delayed will also have a distracted driver," d'Entremont said in an with Information Morning Fredericton.

D'Entremontcontacted the show after hearing about a crackdown by Fredericton police on distracted driving.

The Fredericton police issued 21 tickets for distracted driving in a four-hour crackdown about two weeks ago.

The drivers were handed a $172.50 fine and lost three points off their licence.

Student found drivers texting, talking

For backup evidence during his science experiment, d'Entremont also photographed and videotaped the distracted drivers he witnessed for his project.

"That's driver texting, talking on the phone, eating, applying makeup or putting on anything like hand cream," he said of drivers he observed.

He recruited family members to help him do his research. His brother Matt and his father Greg accompanied him to intersections.

"I had Matt stand up on a snowbank but hidden, so that the drivers didn't get distracted just by looking at him," he explained.

"And I also had my dad being a spotter."

As for the d'Entremont, he recorded stats using a table he had created on his computer.

He was making note of the gender of the drivers, the vehicle type, whether they were distracted, what was causing that distraction and whether that caused a delay at the intersection.

The student's findings paint a familiar picture to anyone who's a motorist.Most drivers are obeying the rules, but a significant percentage of motorists continue to ignore them.

"I found that out of 537 cars, 81.7 per cent of all drivers were not observed to be distracted, so they were clear to go. But 18.3 per cent, or nearly 100 drivers, were distracted," he said of his research.

Of those distracted drivers, d'Entremont recorded that 70.4 per cent of them were texting on their phones or dialing, 9.2 per cent were eating, 3.1 per cent were applying makeup and two per cent were actually applying hand cream.

He said he hopes his project's results cause some adults to think twice when they get behind the wheel.

"We're in a very mobile time. A lot of people are texting on the road, now, more than you'd think." he said.

"Again the majority of those distracted vehicles were either texting or dialing, so that's the goal to get people to stop texting or stop talking on the phone."