1. Broward Regional EMS Council

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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 grooming.
Reading (including maps), using a navigation system.
Watching videos, adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player.

5. Why Do They Do It? “Right now” mentality Increased stress levels
Technological Advances
Smart Phones
PDA
GPS
MP3
Mini Television/CD

6. 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

7. 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 **
Courtesy NHTSA
** Courtesy CTIA

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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)

11. 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

12. Manual ~ Visual ~ Cognitive
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.
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.

13. 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 13

14. 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

15. 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
Cognitive distraction still exists with hands-free.
Talking occurs on both handheld and hands-free cell phones
Mind focuses on conversation
Listen and respond to disembodied voice 15

16. 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 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)

17. Many states including DC have banned text messaging while driving.
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

18. “Stupid Is As Stupid Does” Forrest Gump’s Mother
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19. 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 19

21. 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

22. Introducing Gabby Chaves
Program Spokesperson
18 Years Old
Western High School Honor Student
Indy Lites Race Car Driving Champion

26. Broward Regional EMS Council
Broward.org/Take5

27. References
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Safety Facts:
Distracted Driving Washington, DC: US Department of
Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
September, Publication no. DOT-HS