Dangers of Distracted Driving

• Driving requires full attention, and distraction is a major cause of driver impairment, leading to crashes and deaths.
• Distraction occurs when a situation, task, event, or person diverts a driver's focus from driving, potentially causing collisions.
• Driving demands focus; one must search, identify conflicts, make decisions, judge, and act appropriately, avoiding distractions.

Mental Distraction Rating System

• Mental distractions dangerously affect drivers even with eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.
• Mild danger: Listening to the radio or an audiobook.
• Moderate danger: Talking on a hand-held phone or a hands-free phone.
• High danger: Using voice-activated texting or email features.

Effects of Distraction

• Distractions can affect driving performance in perception, decision-making, and action.
• Perception: Distracted driving delays or prevents identification of traffic events; drivers "look" but do not "see."
• Decision-making: Distraction slows decision-making or causes an inappropriate response.
• Action: Distraction delays action or causes errors in steering, accelerating, or braking.

Types of Distractions

• Distractions include visual, manual (physical), and cognitive (mental), often combined, increasing collision risk.
• Visual: Taking eyes off the road, like looking at a phone or infotainment screen.
• Manual: Removing hands from the wheel, such as changing the radio or reaching for items.
• Cognitive: Mental distraction takes the mind off driving, such as passenger conversations or thinking.

Distractions Inside the Vehicle

• Distractions inside the vehicle include passengers and reaching for loose objects.
• Passengers: Young passengers can be very distracting to inexperienced drivers.
• Statistics on young drivers: With one teen passenger, fatal crash risk increases by 44%; doubles with two passengers; quadruples with three or more.
• Reaching for a Loose Object: Teen drivers are vulnerable to collisions when reaching for items.

Navigating and Eating

• Driving an unfamiliar route can be challenging, and using maps or electronic navigation can cause distraction and reduce visibility.
• Eating while driving involves distractions like opening packages, which increases the chances of crashing.

Music and Audio

• Interacting with the audio system increases collision risk by using the drivers hands and focus.
• Loud music increases mental effort and crash risk while aggressive music is associated with faster driving.

Cell Phone Use

• Operating a cell phone takes attention and eyes away from driving.
• Modern smartphones can perform navigational functions, update social media, and send messages.
• Young drivers underestimate the risks of using a cell phone while driving.
• Dialing may require removing a hand from the steering wheel and looking at the phone.
• Talking requires significant mental effort, diverting attention from driving; this often leads to drifting.
• Cell phone use increases collision risk up to four times, often with fatal results.
• Handheld vs. Hands-Free: Hands-free systems are equally risky as traditional interaction due to the mental effort of conversation, slowing reaction times by 40%.

Texting, Voice Activated Systems and Lingering Effects

• Texting involves all three types of distraction: visual, manual, and cognitive.
• Drivers are three times more likely to veer off the road and crash when texting.
• Drivers are seven times more likely to rear-end when texting.
• Drivers are eight times more likely to be involved in a crash overall when texting
• Voice-activated systems do not reduce crash risk and can be more distracting when used for certain tasks.
• Mental distractions can persist for up to 27 seconds after using voice-activated technology.

Internal Distractions

• Other internal distractions that can add stress to driving and make you less attentive include grooming, drinking, and attending to passengers or pets.

Distractions Outside Vehicle

• Looking at crash scenes easily causes additional crashes and increases traffic congestion.
• Other distractions outside a car include emergency vehicles, objects, scenery, animals, and other road users.
• When a driver looks away for 2 or more seconds, the risk of crash doubles.

Preventing Distractions

• The key is to prevent distractions and effectively manage them.
• To prevent distractions prepare as much as possible before you drive.
• Adjsut vehicle, store loose possesions. program navigation route.
• If you anticipate having distractions and cannot eliminate them, set phone settings to "do not disturb" and avoid cell phones.
• Never use the internet on any device while driving.

Managing Distractions

• Enlist passengers to help with non-driving tasks.
• Remind passengers to stop distracting behaviors.
• Pull over safely if children or pets need your attention.
• Turn off the audio system in unfamiliar and pedestrian-heavy areas.
• Pull over if anything is causing a distraction.

Distracted Driving In Other Road Users

• Increase space between you and a possibly distracted driver.
• If safe, get information like vehicle type, make, model, color, and license plate.
• Safely stop and call 9-1-1 to share information and allow police to handle the situation.