Friday, July 28, 2017

Distracted Driving: A Nationwide Problem

Did you know that right now, there are about 660,000 people who are using their cell phone while they drive? Or that 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting on the road? As a society, we used to be wary about drunk drivers, and we still should. But there's a new wave of irresponsible drivers -- six times more likely to cause an accident than our former #1 enemy on the road. https://www.edgarsnyder.com/car-accident/cause-of-accident/cell-phone/cell-phone-statistics.html

A brief history on the problem of distracted drivers

While it may seem that before the invention of cell phones, there was no need to look away from the road to fiddle with your music player or set your GPS, there were actually many reasons to become distracted back in early days of automobiles. The first car-friendly audio system was introduced by Chrysler in 1956, called the Highway HiFi. This turntable-like appliance would fit right into select Chryslers to play a limited selection of music, and though it was not very successful, the maintenance required meant that drivers would spend a dangerous amount of time working with record needles to get their music to play right. The 8-track cassette was a much greater success, as it was invented specifically for automotive use. It was now becoming customary to fit music into your daily drive, and by the time the GPS system was invented, there were already a few reasons to look away from the road.

Then there was the invention of the cell phone. While initially, these were limited, large, clunky units, they grew in popularity in the 90's-00's. In 1992, Florida became the first state to place legal restrictions on the use of cell phones while driving. As popularity grew, more states began placing restrictions, and this became the norm by the early 2000's. You can click here to view an in-depth article on state laws regarding cell phone use and driving from 1992-2010.

Technology to fight against technology

Hands-free is not risk-free!

While there have been significant technological attempts to reduce distracted driving, it's important to address a common misconception. According to the National Safety Council, 53% of drivers believe that a safe resolve to the problem would be to essentially make using a cell phone while driving a hands-free task. They believe if manufacturers incorporate hands-free technology into vehicles, then they will be making the safe choice. However, the reality is that hands-free does not mean accident-free. Research shows that drivers using handheld and hands-free phones see only 50% of the information in their driving environment. This behavior has been termed "inattention blindness", and it causes drivers to miss stop signs, pedestrians, etc. Take a look at this info graph on the dangers of hands-free driving by the National Safety Council:
  
http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/distracted-driving.aspx
http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/distracted-driving-hands-free-is-not-risk-free-infographic.aspx
http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/Technology-Reduces-Cell-Phone-Distracted-Driving.aspx

Cellphone blocking technology

In recent years, wireless services and companies have created apps that are meant to prevent the use of a cellphone while operating a vehicle. Depending on the system being used, these apps are capable of simply prohibiting calls or texts while the vehicle is moving or even blocking audio features and tracking speed and sudden stops. They can also send information to parents of teen drivers to help them keep their children safe. These apps and devices can be activated in several ways: they may be added to a wireless plan or downloaded as an app. You can also install a device in your vehicle that will put up a "geofence", a virtual barrier that prohibits the use of a cell phone.


Social engineering to stop distracted driving

Everybody knows about the dangers of using a cellphone while driving in some way. The problem is getting people to recognize these dangers as real. Many drivers continue to use their cell phones even though they know it isn't safe. Although 67% of people said they felt at risk due to distracted drivers, only 25% admit their own distractions could put others at risk. This "not me" attitude is because most people think they are better drivers than those around them. Whether because they believe they are safe with hands-free technology or because they believe multitasking is easier than it is, most people do not realize the full scope of the dangers of cellphone use while driving.

The Great Multitasking Lie

A lot of people believe that driving down a long stretch of highway while talking on the phone is far from dangerous. How bad can it be if one task is mindless while the other is casual chatting? Well, there has been a growing myth that multitasking on the road can be done in certain conditions. In order to bust these myths, NSC has provided an infograph to shed light on the reality of these myths.



Raising awareness

Many attempts have been made to increase the awareness on the dangers of texting and driving. However, not a lot of people may know that April is known as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The National Safety Council has put together resources one can use to raise awareness within their community. Visit the link provided if you are interested in receiving these free materials.

NSC has also put together a webinar "to learn how to handle family, friends and employers who distract you while driving, and how to stay alert and avoid other distracted drivers on the road."

Finally, you can Pledge to Drive Cell Free to your children or other loved ones and share on social media.

Other social engineering

Employers can do a lot to reduce distracted driving in their worker's lives. The NSC has provided workplaces with a free Safe Driving Kit so that employers may work to help make the roads safer. The Safe Driving Kit helps safety and HR professionals gather senior management support for policies and education in safe driving, provides materials to help look at top causes of fatalities in car accidents, and contains a plethora of safe driving resources and materials to hand out to employees.

http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/safe-driving-kit.aspx



A message from our sponsors

Here is a state patrol officer speaking about a distracted driving campaign in Minnesota and the precautions being taken by officers in the area:

And here is a video about Liz Marks and her story of how texting while she was driving changed her entire life: 


I chose the first credible communicator because he is an expert in the legal ramifications of driving while using your phone. He has expertise as he is trained in the field of emergency response, and has evidently seen the increasing seriousness of the problem. He also has trustworthiness because police officers are generally seen as good people who want to help make the community safer. There's no reason an officer would lie to you about the dangers of this behavior. The second credible communicator's source characteristic is similarity. It's effective because she is young, like most people who text and drive, and she had to go through the hardships caused by her distracted driving. This helps us trust her perspective because she used to be just like the distracted drivers trying to be reached, until she let it mess up her entire life.


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