(FINAL) DISTRACTED DRIVING

The NHTSA says:

12% of total drivers at any point during the day are on their cell phone. 81% of drivers admit to talking on the cell phone while driving. 18% of drivers admit to text messaging while driving.

Distracted Driving Definition

Distracted Driving - Anything that causes the  vehicle operator to either take their attention  away from driving, take their eyes off the road,  or take their hands off the wheel.

Types of Distracted Driving

Drinking/eating Reading the paper/directions Checking emails/Internet on  laptop Sleepy/tired (Drowsy Driving) Talking/texting on cell phone

Traffic Accident Causal Factors

Driver distraction and inattention to road and trafficconditions are responsible for 25% to 30% of police reported traffic crashes, or about 1.2 million crashes each year. Nearly half of all people who say they feel less safe than they did five years ago say distracted driving by other drivers fuels their concerns. Drivers spend more than half their time focused on things other than driving. For example, 69% of drivers in the United States ages 18-64 reported that they had talked on their cell phone while driving within the 30 days before they were surveyed.

Teen Statistics

Recent study: 17-24 year old drivers reaction time reduced 35%  when typing a text message, compared with 12%  when driving after consuming alcohol to legal limit Teens think the chances of getting into an accident  are still higher when drinking versus texting while  driving Aspiring and current teen drivers think their chances of narrowly avoiding an accident are better  texting while driving than drinking while driving

Texting

National Safety Council estimates 200,000 crashes each year are caused by drivers who are texting

In addition, while using a cell phone and driving:

Drivers "look" but they do not "see." Drivers fail to see what is around them even though they are looking. Drivers miss traffic signals, stop signs, exit ramps. Also called "inattention blindness." We process 90% of input visually. They miss the "cues" for which they need to take special actions.

Inattention Blindness

Drivers do not "see" 50% of the information in their driving environment Drivers have difficulty: Monitoring their surroundings Seeking and identifying potential hazards Responding to unexpected situations Drivers using cell phones have a tendency to "look at" but not "see" up to 50% of the information in their driving environment. Inattention blindness occurs. Also effects pedestrians!!

Too Tired to Drive

Here are some signs: Can't focus or keep your eyes open Have trouble keeping your head up Cannot stop yawning Keep jerking your vehicle back into your lane Do not remember last few miles driven Drift out of lane or hit rumble strip Speed up or slow down often

Teens vs. Mature Drivers

Research finds a normal Teen: Lacks experience Is prone to overzealous driving (aggressive  driving) They do have: Better vision Better reflexes Better reaction times However, do these positives give a false sense of confidence to be able to react?

Culture

$21M verdict against Coca-Cola in cell phone  distracted driving case (AP, May 2012) Distracted driving is becoming the new DUI (NTSB,  Dec 2011) Nationwide hand-held cell phone ban for all  commercial drivers (U.S. DOT, Nov 2011) 94% of Americans consider it unacceptable to text  while driving (AAA, Oct 2009) 80% of Americans support a ban on text/email  while driving (Nationwide Insurance, Aug 2009)

Three types of distraction

- Visual (eyes off the road) - Manual (hands off the wheel) - Cognitive (mind not on driving)

Driver Fatigue

Being fatigued means being tired, sleepy or weary. Being drowsy behind the wheel is dangerous and can contribute to a collision because of: Loss of attention/perception Slowed reaction time Decreased awareness Impaired judgment More risky driving behavior (e.g. speeding) There are more and more fatigued drivers on the road today. Sleepiness and driving is a dangerous combination. Most people are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving but don't realize that drowsy driving can be just as fatal. Like alcohol, sleepiness slows reaction time, decreases awareness, impairs judgment and increases your risk of crashing.

What can employers do?

Implement a cell phone ban policy in your  company and enforce it Educate employees about this issue Show personal leadership - stop using cell phone  while driving and change your voice mail greeting Monitor compliance and effectiveness Support legislation and enforcement

When considering distracted driving:

Lawyers are finding more high speed collisions due to distracted driving. The distracted driver fails to notice an important road event, such as another driver making a mistake 3% of the time. An adult dialing a cell phone misses the same event 13% of the time. A teenager dialing a cell phone misses it 53% of the time.

Distracted Driving Crashes

NHTSA: - Approximately 5% of crashes with injuries and  10% of crashes with fatalities annually involved  distracted driving - Of those killed, 385 involved reports of a cell  phone as a distraction (12% of fatalities in  distraction-related crashes) Also per NHTSA: - Approximately 3,000 killed on US roadways  annually due to distracted driving; approximately  387,000 injured

Corporate Policy

NSC called for a total ban on cell phone use  while driving on nationwide basis since 2009 25% of NSC members have a policy on total  bans of cell phones while driving 20% of Fortune 500 companies have a policy  on total bans of cell phones while driving

DISTRACTED DRIVING

On average over 3,000 people are killed due to distracted driving annually. At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010.

National Safety Council (NSC) states:

When looking at cell phones and distracted driving the National Safety Council (NSC) states: 25% of all motor vehicle crashes involve cell phone use (1 out of 4 crashes). Cell phone use in motor vehicle crashes causes an average of $100 Billion in damages. 75% of drivers using cell phones commit traffic violations.

Electronic Device Use

Whether hands-free or handheld, electronic devices require the brain to multitask which it cannot safely do while driving Device use while driving: Impairs driving performance Also weakens brain's ability to capture  driving clues

Teen Drivers

There are many distractions for teens behind the wheel - especially when riding with friends or people their own age. Many times teens can be distracted due to the use of electronic devices. Even walking can prove distracting. 40 percent of teens have been struck or nearly struck by car while walking: a survey. Washington - A recent survey of more than 1,000 teens found that almost half have been distracted by a mobile device when walking across a street. Safe Kids Worldwide surveyed 1,040 teens 13 to 18 years old about their pedestrian behaviors. Forty percent of the teens reported they have been struck or nearly struck by a car, bike or motorcycle, according to the report September 30, 2014. Among teens who said they had been struck or almost struck while crossing a street: 47 percent were listening to music 40 percent ran across the street 37 percent crossed from the middle of the block 20 percent were talking on the phone 18 percent were texting 8 percent were looking at websites on their phone Additionally, 24 percent of teens said the person behind the wheel was driving too fast, 13 percent admitted to not looking around adequately and 10 percent said the driver wasn't paying attention. Safe Kids offers these guidelines: Do not use phones or headphones when crossing a street. Make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Stay alert when it is dark. Cross at a traffic signal or crosswalk. Oct 10, 2014 internet.

How Do We Make the Roads Safer?

There are several ways that roadways can be made safer by not allowing drivers to use electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle: Education = numerous organizations provide educational materials on the problems caused by using electronic devices while driving; the National Safety Council, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, different auto insurance companies and PENNDOT are just a few. Legislation = laws have already been passed in many states which do not allow drivers to use cell phones or other electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle; Pennsylvania has a law in place that bans texting or working with an electronic device while driving. Technology = some phone companies have applications whereby a cell phone will not accept calls or text messages when a person is driving; others have messages that can be put in place and received by the sender. Corporate policy = there are numerous companies and government agencies that do not allow the use of cell phones while driving. Culture = companies, organizations and users can be encouraged to change their "culture" so the use of cell phones or other electronic devices are not tolerated while driving.

Employer Liability

Things to consider when creating policies: During work hours and outside work hours Driving to/from work appointments Using business and personal vehicles Having business and personal conversations Employer-provided and employee-owned phones

Education

National Safety Council Defensive Driver  Course - includes topics such as distracted  driving, aggressive driving, and seat belt use Hands-free devices do not reduce the risk  compared to handheld devices - cognitive  distraction remains the same (NSC)

Technology

Companies (Sprint, AT&T, Aegis) are developing  products to safely manage electronic  communications for drivers Subscribing to a distracted driving service (sends  message to caller that person is driving and will  receive message when done) Service will block all cell phone calls except 911  calls, while on public transportation, option to  disable "hands-free" feature

Legislation

Executive Order 13513 - (President Obama): prohibits all federal and government employees from texting while driving government vehicle or while on government business; took effect January 2010 45 states have bans on texting while driving In addition, 37 states have total cell phone bans for young drivers, 16 to 24 years old 14 states ban handheld devices

Adults Texting

May do it more than teens; nearly ½ admitted to it  while driving 31% of all drivers in US text while driving; 69% of all drivers admit to using cell phone while driving Consider: There are 180 million adult and 10 million teen  drivers!! Sending/receiving text breaks concentration for  4.6 seconds - at 55MPH enough distance to cover  length of a football field!

Cell Phones

Per NHTSA: At any time, 11% of all drivers are using cell  phones Recent study: Participants 22-34 years old found impairments  associated with talking on cell phone can be as  profound as those associated with driving while  intoxicated when involved directly in cell phone  use

What can YOU do?

Refrain from using your cell phone while driving Place your cell phone on vibrate, or in the glove box to avoid temptation Change your voicemail message to say you are unavailable when driving Safely pull over and put the vehicle in Park position before you take or make a call Educate your family and friends on the issue

5 Main Causes of Car Accidents

Rubbernecking Driver Fatigue Impaired Driving Speeding Aggressive Driving PA Vehicle Crashes - Other contributing factors: Speeding Drunk driving Improper turning Distracted driving Careless/illegal passing (aggressive driving) Proceeding without clearance (running a stop sign or stoplight) Tailgating (following too closely) Drowsy (fatigued) driving

Other distractions

Searching for or moving an object in vehicle Reading, writing, texting Personal grooming Rubbernecking at accident  scenes Looking at people, events or objects off roadway

CELL PHONE, Why the High Risk?

Slower reaction time. Cell phone users had slower reaction time than drivers impaired by alcohol (.08 BAC). Reaction to vehicles braking in front of them is slower. No difference between hands-free and handheld phones.

Why the Attention on Cell Phones?

So many engaged in behavior (high risk) Greater lengths of time (high exposure) Called "cognitive distraction" Looking at driving environment, but not seeing it Mind processing the conversation, not the road

Multitasking

University of Utah Study (Drs Sanbonmatsu and Strayer) Multitaskers may do so because they have difficulty focusing closely on even a single task "One of the main reasons people multitask is  because they think they're good at it ....The more  likely they are to do it, the more likely they are to be bad at it."

When People Know the Risks...

Voluntary compliance is very difficult Most people believe they are better than  average drivers - "the other driver is the  problem" Driving without a crash reinforces risky  behavior Feel compelled to answer the phone, texts