Distracted Driving
Stephanie Bonne, MD
Statistics
• The US sends 171.3 billion text
messages per month
• 3, 328 deaths due to distracted driving
in 2012
– 20% between the age of 20 and 30
• 421,000 injuries involving a distracted
driver
• 71% of teens say they have composed a
text while driving
– 20% admit to extended, multi-message
conversations while driving
• At any given moment in the US,
660,000 people are using their cell
phones while driving
• Texting while driving makes an accident
23 times more likely
Statistics
• Using a cell phone
while driving
increases crash risk 4
fold
– Same risk as driving
drunk
• Texting while driving
makes a crash 23
times more likely
– TEXTING WHILE
DRIVING IS 6 TIMES
MORE DANGEROUS
THAN DRIVING
DRUNK
Distracted Driving
• A single text take the
driver’s eyes off the road
for 5 seconds
– At 55mph, 5 seconds =
driving 1 football field, blind
Distracted Driving: More than a Text
• Distraction: “a
driver’s attention
is diverted away
from driving by a
secondary task
that requires
focusing on an
object, event or
person not related
to the driving
task.”
• Electronic devices
are made and
marketed to grab
and keep
attention
Distracted Driving: More than a Text
• Distractions include:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Texting
Using a smartphone
Eating and Drinking
Talking to passengers
Grooming
Reading, including maps
Using a navigation system
Watching a video
Adjusting the radio, CD or MP3 player
Not just Texting and Driving
• July 28, 2013:
– Train driver admitted
to texting and not
hearing warning
signals
– Going twice allowed
speed limit for track
– Crash killed 79
people
Not just Texting and Driving
• 2011 and 2012 saw a 4%
increase in pedestrian
fatalities
– Exact texting while
walking statistics are
unknown
• 1,152 pedestrians were
treated in emergency
rooms in 2011 for injuries
sustained from stepping
into traffic while texting
• 60% of one survey’s
respondents reported
texting, internet browsing
or checking messages
while walking near traffic
Brain Function in Attention
Brain Function in Attention
Brain Function While Driving
• Whole brain is activating during driving task –
visual, auditory, sensory
Clinical models of Attention
• Focused attention: Ability to respond to
specific stimuli
• Sustained attention (vigilance): Ability to
maintain consistent behavioral response
during continuous and repetitive activity
• Selective attention: Ability to maintain a
cognitive or behavioral set in the face of
distracting or competing stimuli - “freedom
from distractibility”
• Alternating attention: The ability of mental
flexibility that allows individuals to shift
focus and move between tasks having
different cognitive requirements
• Divided attention: Highest level of attention
and refers to ability to respond
simultaneously to multiple demands
Attention vs. Distractions
• Human brain is hard-wired for single
attention
– Otherwise it would be overwhelmed
by amount of knowledge each day
• Studies have shown…
– Simulators show driver performance
degradation while texting
– Slowed response times (including
braking) while texting
– Reduced awareness of other traffic
– Consistent across studies: a 4-fold
(400%) increase in a risk of crash
with cellphone use of any kind
Science behind Distraction
• Swiss Cheese
Model described
by researchers
– Each distraction is
a hole in the
cheese
– Task performance
is best when a
single task is being
performed
Science behind Distraction
• Texting while driving causes
“inattention blindness”
– Drivers look but fail to “see” or register
events on the roadway
– In simulator studies, drivers talking on
the phone see ½ of the roadway
events as they do when not talking on
the phone
– In simulator studies, when asked to
count how many times a ball is
thrown, people fail to see a person in a
gorilla suit on the screen
• Talking and texting decrease brake
responsiveness time by up to 2
seconds
– Increases both likelihood and severity
of a crash
What about Hands Free devices?
• Some studies show
no change
• Some studies show
decreased risk, but
not to baseline
• Differs from a
discussion with a
passenger
– Passenger can stop
talking in a difficult
road situation
– Passenger can help
watch for roadway
events
What about Multitasking?
• Most neurologists say multitasking is a myth
– Brain is not capable of truly “multitasking” – however,
it can switch quickly between multiple tasks
– When “switching” happens so fast it seems to be
multitasking – like talking on the phone while driving
– Both tasks suffer from a lack of full attention
– Each “switch” tables about 0.3 of a second
• Time we travel about 2-3 car-lengths at highway speed
– Only about 2.5% of the human population is
physiologically capable of focusing on more than 1
task at a time
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_mr2dIKw&feature=player_detailpage&list=PLvoTWd
h6WdyaFyf4g4rrrWanqPKyfTB8B
Laws Against Distracted Driving
• Primary law:
– Officer can ticket the driver for
the offense without any other
traffic violation taking place
– Secondary law means the officer
can only ticket if the driver has
been pulled over for another
violation
• Missouri has a primary ban on
texting for drivers younger
than 21
Hand-held Bans
Texting Bans
All Cellphone Use Ban for Young
Drivers
Do the Laws Work?
• Laws lead to a 50%
reductions in
cellphone use
immediately after laws
are enacted
– Long-term
effectiveness is weaker
– No data to show that
laws decrease injury or
death
And finally….
Psychologists at Harvard
recommend one of the
keys to happiness is:
“living in the moment” –
If we allow our minds to
wander, we might miss
moments we would
actually enjoy
Useful websites
http://www.distraction.gov/
http://Textinganddrivingsafety.com
http://www.iihs.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/
http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_D
riving/Pages/distracted_driving.aspx
• http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/distracteddriving/the-risks-of-distracted-driving/
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References
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