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Broward Regional EMS Council
Objectives
Objectives

Define Distracted Driving

Review distractive behaviors exhibited by drivers

Discuss how the behaviors affect our response to driving

Identify the at-risk population(s) and the behaviors that can
be attributed to the group

Discuss how legislature is dealing with the problem

Review prevention strategies for implementation
Background
Each day, more than 15 people are killed
and more than 1,200 people are injured
in crashes that were reported to involve
a distracted driver
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2009
Broward Regional EMS Council
Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a
person's attention away from the primary task of
driving. They include:
 Texting, using
a cell phone or smartphone.
 Eating, drinking, or
 Reading
(including maps), using a navigation system.
 Watching
player.
grooming.
videos, adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3
Why Do They Do It?

“Right now” mentality

Increased stress levels

Technological Advances
 Smart Phones
 PDA
 GPS
 MP3
 Mini Television/CD
Look Who’s Talking

25% of drivers admit to talking on the
cell phone regularly, while driving.
 18-29 years old – 39%
 30-39 years old – 39%
 40-49 years old – 37%
 50-59 years old – 18%
 60+ years old – 8%

34% admit to rare cell phone use.
National Safety Council 2010
Broward Regional EMS Council

In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver
distraction, and an estimated 448,000 were injured.*

16% of fatal crashes in 2009 involved distracted driving.*

20% of injury crashes in 2009 involved distracted driving. *

In the month of June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages
were sent or received in the US.

Up nearly 50% from June 2009. **
•
Courtesy NHTSA
•
** Courtesy CTIA
Broward Regional EMS Council

Texting is the most dangerous distraction because it
involves manual, visual, and cognitive distractions
simultaneously.

Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 4.6
seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an
entire football field, blindfolded.

A majority of people admit to awareness of the hazards
relating to texting or talking while driving.
What Studies Show About Cell Phones

Drivers talking on cell
phones = 18 percent
slower braking than other
motorists.

Talking on a cell phone
while driving = impaired
with a blood alcohol level
of 0.08 percent.

Texting drivers were six
times more likely to crash
than someone who was
not texting.
Photo courtesy Plantation Fire Department
Site University of Utah Study, 2009
Broward Regional EMS Council

Teen drivers are more likely than other age groups to be
involved in a fatal crash where distraction is reported.
 In 2009, 16% of teen drivers involved in a fatal crash
were reported to have been distracted. (NHTSA)

40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when
the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in
danger. (Pew)

Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to
get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
(Monash University)

Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than
driving while not distracted. (VTTI)
Manual ~ Visual ~ Cognitive

Manual : Taking hands off
the steering wheel to
manipulate a device

Visual : Looking away from
roadway to visually obtain
data

Reading electronic mail,
texts

Making phone calls

Choosing music on MP3

Locating item in car
Manual ~ Visual ~ Cognitive

Cognitive: mental
workload associated with a
task that involves thinking
about something other than
the driving task
 Impacts a wide range of
behaviors, such as a
significant reduction in
response time and an
increased crash risk.
You’re four times
It’s hard to
more likely to
concentrate on
have a crash
two things
when you’re on
at the same time.
a mobile phone.
What Causes this Impairment?

Multi-tasking: A Drain on the Brain

Brain handles tasks sequentially

Brain switches between one task and
another

Brain filters out information due to overload

Drivers miss critical information
Source: National Institute of Health
Multitasking: A Brain Drain
Brain power used while driving decreases by 40% when a driver listens to conversation or music
Functional MRI Study, Center for Cognitive Brain
Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University Study, 2009
Inattention Blindness

Type of cognitive distraction
 “looking” but not “seeing”
 Doing two cognitively complex tasks (driving and using
cell phone); brain shifts focus

Hands-free drivers LESS likely to see:
 High and low relevant objects
 Visual cues
 Exits, red lights and stop signs
 Navigational signage
 Content of objects
National Safety Council 2010
Broward Regional EMS Council
 Headset
cell phone use is not substantially safer
than hand-held use. (VTTI)
 Using
a cell phone while driving - whether it's handheld or hands-free delays a driver's reactions as
much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the
legal limit of .08 percent. (University of Utah)
 Driving
while using a cell phone reduces the
amount of brain activity associated with driving by
37%. (Carnegie Mellon)
Broward Regional EMS Council

Many states including DC have banned text messaging while driving.

Twelve of these laws were adopted in 2010 alone.

Secondary offense in Florida
“Stupid Is As Stupid Does”
Forrest Gump’s Mother
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What Can We Do?

Start with you and your home - Educate

Phone Applications aimed at preventing distracted driving
 Sprint – Drive First Program, subscription based (not an app),
detects when phone in moving vehicle – locks screen; incoming
calls are routed to voice mail and texts are auto-replied
 AT&T – Drive Mode App –curbs the urge to text
 T-Mobile – Drive Smart; Drive Smart Plus, subscription based;
blocks texting while driving

Public awareness campaign

Involvement with professional organization (Like BENA) and
legislation
Broward Regional EMS Council
 The
purpose of the “Take
5 to Stay Alive”
campaign, sponsored by the Broward Regional
EMS Council, is to improve roadway safety by
preventing crashes related to the act of text
messaging.
 “Take
5 to Stay Alive” is simple to do and can
save your life. Take a break from driving and pull
off the road to use your cell phone
 Introducing
 Program
Gabby Chaves
Spokesperson
 18 Years
Old
 Western
High School Honor Student
 Indy
Lites Race Car Driving Champion
Broward Regional EMS Council
Broward.org/Take5
References
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts:
Distracted Driving 2009. Washington, DC: US Department of
Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
September, 2010. Publication no. DOT-HS-811-379.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bills
http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_Driving
http://distraction.gov/campaign-tools/
http://www.unews.utah.edu/old/p/121809-3.html
http://hfs.sagepub.com/content/51/5/762.refs.html