1. Driver Inattention and Distractions
NV Driver Education Curriculum
Unit 8: Personal Factors Influencing Operator Performance
Presentation 5 of 5
TOPICS:
Driving Demands & Driver Inattention
Types of Distractions: Visual, Manual, Cognitive
Distractions Inside (Texting) & Outside the Vehicle (Gawking)

2. Before we begin... Let’s Talk About It
Share your thoughts with a partner.
Take 60 seconds to discuss: What types of distractions pull a drivers attention away from the road? Have you been in a vehicle with a distracted driver? What happened?
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3. Inattention Causes Accidents
In 2007 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that 80 percent of accidents involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the accident.
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4. Distracted Driver Videos
60 Second Driver
Driver Distractions
(0:60)
All State Insurance
Craziest Driving Distractions
(2:24)
Defensive Driving.com
How to Avoid Distracted Driving
(2:11)
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5. Driving Demands Attention
Driving is a complex task requiring focus on the driving task at all times.
Demands 100% of your attention at all times
Distractions raises your risk of being in an accident
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6. The Driving Task Operating a vehicle requires coordination of skills:
Eye, hand, and foot coordination
Continuous eye search patterns
Repetitive actions
Procedural tasks
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7. Driver Inattention
Driver inattention is when awareness and focus drift to anything other than the driving task.
Fatigue or sleepiness
Daydreaming
Driving familiar roads
Doing non-driving tasks
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8. Divided Attention
The driving task is a mental process that requires constant attention:
Speed adjustments
Position adjustments
Communication of intentions
Inattentive drivers are forced to make sudden decisions which can easily cause a collision.
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9. Understanding Divided Attention
Image juggling 3 balls and someone suddenly threw you a fourth ball.
If a driver gets distracted they could:
Panic (overwhelmed with fear)
Shut down processing skills (unable to act)
React abruptly (accelerate, brake, swerve)
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10. Attention Status of Drivers in Crashes
Research shows that driver inattentiveness is a major cause of vehicle crashes.
Consider what might happen if a drink spills while driving.
Graphic from Drive Right textbook 11th edition
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Retrieved 12/06/10

11. Distracted Driving Visual Manual Cognitive
There are three main types distraction:
Visual
Take your eyes off the road
Manual
Take your hands off the wheel
Cognitive
Take your mind off what your are doing
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12. Driver Distraction
Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that takes attention away from the task of driving.
Using a cell phone
Eating and drinking
Talking to passengers
Grooming
Changing music
Reading, including maps
Watching a video or navigation system
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13. Inattention & Collisions
An estimated 80% of collisions involve some form of driver inattention.
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14. Distractions
Drivers under the age of 20 are more likely than other drivers to be identified as distracted as the time of their crash
Distractions and inattentiveness cause 68% of rear-end crashes
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15. Don’t Drive Distracted Types of Distracted Drivers
International PSAs
TAC Victoria (Australia)
Don’t Drive Distracted
(0:31)
Hertfordshire, England
Types of Distracted Drivers
(1:28)
US - Maryland
Choose Safety for Life
(0:33)
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16. Keep your eyes on your intended path of travel.
Eyes off the Road
When a driver looks away from the roadway for two or more seconds, the risk of a collision DOUBLES.
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Keep your eyes on your intended path of travel.

17. 3 – 2 – 1 Seconds
Every time you take your eyes off the road you put your life and others at risk.
A vehicle traveling 60 mph covers: 88 feet per second (semi-truck with 2 trailers) 176 feet in two seconds (12 car lengths) 264 feet in three seconds (football field)
Each length of distraction equates to “blind driving”
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18. Distractions Inside the Vehicle
Auditory Distractions
Cell phones, music, video
Passengers talking, laughing, crying
Vehicle Equipment or Controls
Other
Animals and insects
Food and drink
Grooming
Loose objects
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19. Texting
Texting is the most dangerous distraction because it involves all three types of distraction:
Visual taking you eyes off the road
Manual taking your hands off the wheel
Cognitive taking your mind off what you are doing
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20. Teens & Texting In a 2009 survey:
One in four (26%) of American teens of driving age say they have texted while driving.
Half (48%) of all teens ages 12 to 17 say they’ve been a passenger while a driver has texted behind the wheel.
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21. Texting and Driving Video
Wales PSA
Texting While Driving
(4:16)
WARNING : Graphic Accident Portrayal – Used by Wales police in local area schools
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Retrieved: 10/07/10

22. Distractions Outside the Vehicle
Distractions can be caused by objects, people, and events outside the vehicle:
Crash scenes
Emergency vehicles
People and animals
Other roadway users
Eyes off the road
Billboards and road debris
Other vehicles and pedestrians
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23. Gawking & Rubbernecking
Gawking and rubbernecking are related with crash scenes and cause:
traffic backlog
rear-end collisions
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Gawking is often the cause of the traffic backlog, NOT the actual crash.

24. Reducing Distraction Reduce distraction risk:
Know vehicle equipment and controls
Set passenger expectations
Turn off technology (i.e. phones and computers)
Keep eyes on the road (use I.P.D.E.)
Avoid driving when tired or angry
Don’t “gawk” or slow down to look at accidents or other outside distractions
Stay focused on the road
Training and experience develop performance skills and reduced-risk decision making.
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25. Distracted and the Law
Every state has legislation under which drivers can be charged for inattentive driving.
Nevada law requires drivers to use “due care” per NRS and those who are distracted will be cited for not using due care.
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In 2006, the latest year for Nevada highway statistics, inattentive driving was a factor in 7,404 crashes which resulted in 83 fatalities and 2,748 injuries. This was the third highest factor behind failure to yield and failure to reduce speed. But other similar factors were called “fatigued driver,” “inattention/distracted,” and maybe even “driver vision obscured.” These were a factor in 573 crashes. By severity, inattentive driving was the number one factor for fatal crashes (23%) and the third highest contributor for injury crashes and property damage only crashes. Overall, inattentive driving was a factor in 11.6% of crashes in Nevada.

26. High Risk Driving High risk drivers tend to drive with:
No hands on the steering wheel
Eyes directed inside the vehicle, rather than outside
Inattention - vehicle wanders in the travel lane, or crosses into another lane
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27. Multi-Tasking When you drive, you are already multi-tasking: Seeing
Thinking
Responding
The 4 steps of IPDE
Identify
Predict
Decide
Execute
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Do not make it more difficult by performing additional tasks while behind the wheel.

28. Safe Driving Habits Video
California DMV
Sharing the Road Video
Safe Driving Habits
Make a Difference
(1:45)
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29. Did You Know
Final Thoughts
“Rubbernecking” was coined in the early 20th century, as tourist riding in special sight seeing carriages in New York city would crane their heads to take in the views.
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30. Test Your Knowledge You should usually slow your vehicle down when:
You see brake lights coming on several vehicles ahead of you
Passing large trucks on the freeway
You want to look at an accident scene
You are sight-seeing on a major highway
Answer: A

31. Test Your Knowledge
Some things to watch for on the side of the road are:
Pedestrians and animals
Approaching traffic
Road signs
All of the above
Answer: D

32. Test Your Knowledge This warning sign means:
Intersection warning ahead
Two lane traffic ahead
Right lane ends ahead
Left lane ends ahead
Answer: C
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Retrieved 12/03/10