A cell phone in one hand; a steering wheel in the other—it’s a trademark look worn by nearly every driver on the road.
It’s no wonder that more than 5,474 people were killed in wrongful death crashes, in 2009, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In addition, nearly half a million suffered personal injury. To bring attention to escalating deaths and personal injuries, the US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has designated April as National Distracted Driving Awareness month. They’re asking drivers to pledge to drive cell free and concentrate on the task of safe driving to avoid personal injury and deaths.
Research shows that people aren’t able to multitask as well as they think. When attention is divided, drivers may not see what is right in front of them–another car, a stop light or a school bus.
Types of driving distractions that cause personal injury and wrongful death:
- Manual – taking hands off the wheel
- Visual – taking eyes off the road
- Cognitive – taking mind off driving
Cell phones aren’t the only distraction contributing to deaths and personal injuries. Texting, eating, putting on makeup, talking on the phone, yelling at kids in the backseat—it all takes a driver’s eyes from the road. While the number of people curling their hair while driving hasn’t significantly changed over the years, the number of drivers with cell phones has grown exponentially.
Consider these facts:
- Car crashes are the number one cause of wrongful death and personal injury for people ages 16-52.
- 91% of the population has cell phones.
- In just one day, 4.1 billion text messages were sent in the US, in 2009.
- 57% of drivers text while driving
Using a cell phone while driving impairs a driver as much as having a blood alcohol level at .08 percent–the legal limit. Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to cause personal injury. While texting takes a driver’s eyes off the road for only 4/6 seconds, at 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with closed eyes.
Roadway safety officials are committed to reducing the number of preventable wrongful deaths and personal injuries suffered each year. Talking on a hand-held cell phones while driving is banned in ten states. Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 37 states. For novice drivers, cell phone use is restricted in 31 states and texting is banned in six states. Missouri has a ban on texting while driving for those age 21 and younger. Kansas has banned all call phone use for novice drivers.
Help put a stop to the injuries and deaths suffered at the hands of distracted drivers. Just drive.
Sources:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Harris Interactive, 2007
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Key Facts and Statistics
- 16% of wrongful death crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA)
- 20% of personal injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA)
- 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. (CTIA)
- Teen drivers are more likely than other age groups to be involved in a wrongful death crash where distraction is reported. In 2009, 16% of teen drivers involved in a wrongful death 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 of injury or death. (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 personal injury risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (VTTI)
- Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind. (VTTI)
- Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)
- Using a cell phone while driving – whether it’s hand-held 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)
In Aug. 2009, Missouri became the 23rd state to ban texting while driving, but only one of nine states to limit it to a specific age group: 21 and under. The fine for violating Missouri’s texting law is $200.
Get more information and listen to the PSAs at www.saveMOlives.com. You text. You’re next.
We’re on a mission to change the roadway safety culture to prevent personal injury. As we said, everyone has a role to play. If someone calls you while he/she is driving, let the caller know that you can talk later – once he/she has arrived safely.
The Facts about Distracted Driving – Know the Dangers/Avoid the Risks of injury
- Drivers engage in potentially-distracting secondary tasks during more than half of the time spent driving.
- Driver inattention is a factor in more than 1 million crashes in North America annually, resulting in serious injuries, deaths and an economic impact reaching nearly $40 billion per year.
- Using a cell phone while driving has been found to quadruple your risk of crashing and suffering personal injury or death.
- The AAA Foundation’s 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index found 35% of drivers feel less safe today than they did five years ago, and distracted driving was the most common reason cited for this.
- The 2009 Index also found 95% of drivers said that texting while driving was unacceptable, but 18% of those same drivers admitted having read or sent a text message or email while driving in the past month.
- Dealing with passengers is one of the most frequently reported causes of distraction. Young children are four times more distracting than adults as passengers, and infants eight times more distracting.
Here are 10 tips from GHSA for managing some of the most common distractions to prevent injury to yourself or others:
- Turn it off. Turn your phone off or switch to silent mode before you get in the car.
- Spread the word. Set up a special message to tell callers that you are driving and you’ll get back to them as soon as possible, or sign up for a service that offers this.
- Pull over. If you need to make a call, pull over to a safe area first.
- Use your passengers. Ask a passenger to make the call for you.
- X the Text. Don’t ever text and drive, surf the web or read your email while driving. It is dangerous and against the law in most states. It increases the chance for preventable injury or death.
- Know the law. Familiarize yourself with Missouri and Kansas state and local news before you get in the car. Some states and localities prohibit the use of hand held cell phones. GHSA offers a handy chart of state laws on the its website: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html
- Prepare. Review maps and directions before you start to drive. If you need help when you are on the road, ask a passenger to help or pull over to a safe location to review the map/directions again.
- Secure your pets. Pets can be a big distraction in the car. Always secure your pets properly before you start to drive.
- Keeps the kids safe. Pull over to a safe location to address situations with your children in the car.
- Focus on the task at hand. Refrain from smoking, eating , drinking, reading and any other activity that take your mind and eyes off the road.
Drivers that engage in distracting activities in the car pose a serious and deadly risk of injury and death to everyone on the road. NHTSA estimates that in 2008, the most recent year for which data is available, 5,870 people lost their lives and another 515,000 were injured in police reported crashes in which one form of distraction was noted on the crash report.3 These numbers represent 16% of all overall motor vehicle crashes.
Distracted driving accounts for at least 25% of all traffic crashes in this country; so, it is imperative that we continue to raise awareness of this issue and educate motorists to minimize distracting events wherever possible to prevent unnecessary injury.
