Distracted Driving: Eyes On The Road

Distracted Driving Eyes on the Road Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. The 3 Key Types of Distraction Visual : Taking your eyes Manual : Taking your hands Cognitive : Take your mind off driving off the road off the wheel Facts and Statistics 416000 people Around 416000 people are injured annually in crashes involving distracted driving. 11% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted. For drivers 15-19 years old involved in fatal crashes, 21 percent of the distracted drivers were distracted by the use of cell phones. 21% X 3 Engaging in visual-manual subtasks (such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting) associated with the use of hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times. Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction. Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. 37 % Risk of crash or near crash compared to non-distracted driving crash Driver behavior (cars and light vehicles) 1.3 Talking on a handheld phone times Reaching for a non-moving object times 1.4 1.6 Eating times 2.8 Dialing a phone times 3 Applying makeup times 3.4 Reading times 3.7 Looking for external objects times 4 Driving drowsy times Reaching for moving objects times Distractions: A Using a Cellphone A Eating & Drinking A Talking to Passengers A Using a Navigation System A Using a Map or Reading Something A Lost in Thoughts A Adjusting Audio or Climate Control A Smoking A Grooming Watching a Video Children Pets How To Prevent Distracted Driving: Take A Pledge: The fight to end distracted driving starts with you. Make the commitment to drive phone-free today No Cellphone: Keep that phone aside while driving Don't Eat or Drink While Driving: Make sure you don't eat or drink while driving Don't Eat or Drink While Driving: Make sure you don't eat or drink while driving Educate People: The best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses Pets: Don't let your pets roam freely in the car Be Prepared: Before driving review maps and directions Sources: http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.html http://auto.erieinsurance.com/distracted-driving-infographic.aspx http://allinfographics.org/top-10-dangerous-driver-distractions-leading-to-accidents/ http://www.thehartford.com/sites/thehartford/files/distracted-driving.pdf