Watch the Road! What You Need to Know About Distracted Driving
Nate Sawatzky
Let’s start with a few questions:
Let’s start with a few questions: Will the Winnipeg Jets make the playoffs in 2015? They currently have an 87% chance.
How much do you drive as part of your job? A. B. C. D.
Never Occasionally Quite often Constantly
Does your company encourage safe driving? A. B. C. D.
Very much Somewhat A little Not at all
Does your company turn a blind eye to unsafe driving? A. B. C. D.
Definitely Possibly No I don’t have to answer that
Nate’s Background
What do we know about distracted driving? It’s dangerous: • On average, almost one-third (29.6%) of fatal collisions in MB involve distracted driving
• This means that 25 people die on MB roadways each year just because someone wasn’t paying attention • NHTSA estimates over 3000 people died in North America in 2012 because of distracted driving
What do we know about distracted driving? • We know more about it than we did about other road safety issues when they first arose • Consider: The first impaired driving laws in Canada’s Criminal code were passed in 1920, even though mass production of cars came much earlier Seatbelts were not standard equipment in cars until the 1960’s, and Canada’s first mandatory seatbelt law came in in 1976
What are people doing with their phones? • Text-messaging has really only gained prominence in the last seven or eight years with the proliferation of smart phones
What are people doing with their phones?
What are people doing with their phones?
What are people doing with their phones?
284 million monthly active users 500 million Tweets are sent per day 80% of Twitter active users are on mobile
What are people doing with their phones? #drivingselfie
What are people doing with their phones?
Mobile phone use while driving survey (2009-2014)
What are people doing with their phones? (arrows indicate direction of change)
All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
65%
78%
55%
Talk on a hand-held phone
64%
What are people doing with their phones? All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
50%
54%
42%
Talk on a hands-free phone
53%
What are people doing with their phones? All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
33%
71%
31%
Text messaging
58%
What are people doing with their phones? All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
48%
65%
30%
Program a navigation/ GPS system
54%
What are people doing with their phones? All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
26%
48%
13%
Access the internet
29%
What are people doing with their phones? All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
25%
43%
15%
Read Email
32%
What are people doing with their phones? All Drivers
Drivers aged 18-29
13%
30%
9%
Update social media networks
20%
Distracted Driving: Ipsos Survey Texting & Social Media Use While Driving 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Saudi Arabia
South Africa
South Korea
India
China & Brazil & Sweden Mexico Australia Canada United Russia States
Japan
France
Spain
Hungary
Great Britan
Distracted Driving • Cell Phone Addiction
Question for any smokers in the audience: After leaving this presentation, which are you more likely to do first?
A. Light up B. Check phone
Distracted Driving Research • Virginia Tech Transportation Institute 100-car study Over 80% of crashes and near crashes were preceded by some type of driver distraction (within three seconds) Visual distraction was a factor in 93 % of rear-end collisions.
Distracted Driving Research • Carnegie Mellon University 37% of brain activity associated with driving decreased while talking on a phone
Reduced brain activity leads to: • Inattention blindness: the failure to notice an unexpected stimulus that is in one's field of vision when other attention-demanding tasks are being performed.
Distracted Driving Research • Traffic Injury Prevention Journal: Cell Use vs Alcohol Impairment Cell conversation was equivalent to .07 BAC Texting was equivalent to 0.1 BAC
Distracted Driving Research • Is especially bad amongst youth drivers The June 2013 issue of Pediatrics reports that texting while driving injuries and fatalities have surpassed those from impaired driving among teens in the U.S.
A study in New Zealand found that teens who were driving with one teenage passenger were 2.5x as likely to crash vs driving alone, and 5.5x as likely with two or more teenage passengers Teens who text and drive are 5x more likely to also drink and drive, and are also less likely to wear their seatbelts
Distracted Driving • Does not just involve cell phones!
Distracted Driving • Remember: the most important thing you can do while driving your car, is drive your car. • No text message, phone call, cup of coffee, dropped toy, or song on the radio is worth the hassle of even taking your vehicle in to be repaired, let alone causing yourself or someone else to be seriously injured or killed
Question: How many of you would say you are an effective multitasker?
Multi-Tasking Exercise If you have them, please grab a pen and a piece of paper
Task Switching
Task Switching is a Thief 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Tas k S wi tc hi ng i s a Thief 1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Defensive Driving • Is the best defense against distracted driving
Agree or disagree:“I am an aboveaverage driver”
Defensive Driving • Is the best defense against distracted driving • The majority of people who are asked this question believe they are an “above average” driver • 44% of drivers involved in collisions in MB in 2013 were recorded as being not at fault
Defensive Driving • Develop a “Proactive” approach • Anticipate potential hazards
• Avoid potential danger BEFORE it is too late
Defensive Driving • Helps prevent collisions in spite of conditions and mistakes of others
What is Defensive Driving? Driving in a safe and courteous manner and treating other drivers with respect.
Alex Heit Witnesses told police that Mr Heit appeared to have his head down when he began drifting into the oncoming lane in the outskirts of Greeley, where the University of Northern Colorado is located. According to police, an oncoming driver slowed and moved over just before the young man looked up and jerked the steering wheel. Police say Mr Heit, a Colorado native who loved hiking and snowboarding, had a spotless driving record and wasn't speeding. Source: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technologynews/fatal-text-unfinished-message-found-on-drivers-phone20130412-2hqaq.html
Amelie Croteau “Her car drifted into the opposite lane and collided with a truck. The truck driver didn't have a scratch but Croteau's body was shattered, along with her compact car.” “After marathon surgery and a coma, she was left paralyzed on her right side. While she can walk with a cane, she spends most of the time in a wheelchair”
"I was told that I had replied to my boyfriend who wanted to know if I had made his lunch."
Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/04/09/paralyzed-exmodel-amelie-croteau-has-texting-driving-warning-foryouth
Questions? • Remember to Drive Safe! • 204-985-8770 ext. 1986 •
[email protected]