Distracted Driving
Stephanie Bonne, MD
Statistics • The US sends 171.3 billion text
messages per month • 3, 328 deaths due to distracted driving
in 2012 – 20% between the age of 20 and 30
• 421,000 injuries involving a distracted driver
• 71% of teens say they have composed a text while driving – 20% admit to extended, multi-message
conversations while driving • At any given moment in the US,
660,000 people are using their cell phones while driving
• Texting while driving makes an accident 23 times more likely
Statistics • Using a cell phone
while driving increases crash risk 4 fold – Same risk as driving
drunk • Texting while driving
makes a crash 23 times more likely – TEXTING WHILE
DRIVING IS 6 TIMES MORE DANGEROUS THAN DRIVING DRUNK
Distracted Driving
• A single text take the driver’s eyes off the road for 5 seconds – At 55mph, 5 seconds =
driving 1 football field, blind
Distracted Driving: More than a Text
• Distraction: “a driver’s attention is diverted away from driving by a secondary task that requires focusing on an object, event or person not related to the driving task.”
• Electronic devices are made and marketed to grab and keep attention
Distracted Driving: More than a Text
• Distractions include: – Texting – Using a smartphone – Eating and Drinking – Talking to passengers – Grooming – Reading, including maps – Using a navigation system – Watching a video – Adjusting the radio, CD or MP3 player
Not just Texting and Driving
• July 28, 2013: – Train driver admitted
to texting and not hearing warning signals
– Going twice allowed speed limit for track
– Crash killed 79 people
Not just Texting and Driving • 2011 and 2012 saw a 4%
increase in pedestrian fatalities – Exact texting while
walking statistics are unknown
• 1,152 pedestrians were treated in emergency rooms in 2011 for injuries sustained from stepping into traffic while texting
• 60% of one survey’s respondents reported texting, internet browsing or checking messages while walking near traffic
Brain Function in Attention
Brain Function in Attention
Brain Function While Driving
• Whole brain is activating during driving task – visual, auditory, sensory
Clinical models of Attention • Focused attention: Ability to respond to
specific stimuli • Sustained attention (vigilance): Ability to
maintain consistent behavioral response during continuous and repetitive activity
• Selective attention: Ability to maintain a cognitive or behavioral set in the face of distracting or competing stimuli - “freedom from distractibility”
• Alternating attention: The ability of mental flexibility that allows individuals to shift focus and move between tasks having different cognitive requirements
• Divided attention: Highest level of attention and refers to ability to respond simultaneously to multiple demands
Attention vs. Distractions • Human brain is hard-wired for single
attention – Otherwise it would be overwhelmed
by amount of knowledge each day • Studies have shown…
– Simulators show driver performance degradation while texting
– Slowed response times (including braking) while texting
– Reduced awareness of other traffic – Consistent across studies: a 4-fold
(400%) increase in a risk of crash with cellphone use of any kind
Science behind Distraction
• Swiss Cheese Model described by researchers – Each distraction is
a hole in the cheese
– Task performance is best when a single task is being performed
Science behind Distraction • Texting while driving causes
“inattention blindness” – Drivers look but fail to “see” or register
events on the roadway – In simulator studies, drivers talking on
the phone see ½ of the roadway events as they do when not talking on the phone
– In simulator studies, when asked to count how many times a ball is thrown, people fail to see a person in a gorilla suit on the screen
• Talking and texting decrease brake responsiveness time by up to 2 seconds – Increases both likelihood and severity
of a crash
What about Hands Free devices? • Some studies show
no change • Some studies show
decreased risk, but not to baseline
• Differs from a discussion with a passenger – Passenger can stop
talking in a difficult road situation
– Passenger can help watch for roadway events
What about Multitasking?
• Most neurologists say multitasking is a myth – Brain is not capable of truly “multitasking” – however,
it can switch quickly between multiple tasks – When “switching” happens so fast it seems to be
multitasking – like talking on the phone while driving – Both tasks suffer from a lack of full attention
– Each “switch” tables about 0.3 of a second • Time we travel about 2-3 car-lengths at highway speed
– Only about 2.5% of the human population is physiologically capable of focusing on more than 1 task at a time
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_mr2d-IKw&feature=player_detailpage&list=PLvoTWdh6WdyaFyf4g4rrrWanqPKyfTB8B
Laws Against Distracted Driving
• Primary law: – Officer can ticket the driver for
the offense without any other traffic violation taking place
– Secondary law means the officer can only ticket if the driver has been pulled over for another violation
• Missouri has a primary ban on texting for drivers younger than 21
Hand-held Bans
Texting Bans
All Cellphone Use Ban for Young Drivers
Do the Laws Work?
• Laws lead to a 50% reductions in cellphone use immediately after laws are enacted – Long-term
effectiveness is weaker – No data to show that
laws decrease injury or death
And finally….
Psychologists at Harvard recommend one of the keys to happiness is: “living in the moment” – If we allow our minds to wander, we might miss moments we would actually enjoy
Useful websites
• http://www.distraction.gov/ • http://Textinganddrivingsafety.com • http://www.iihs.org/ • http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/ • http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/Distracted_D
riving/Pages/distracted_driving.aspx • http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/distracted-
driving/the-risks-of-distracted-driving/
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