Distracted driving don’ts

• Distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens. Alcohol-related accidents among teens have dropped. But teenage traffic fatalities have remained unchanged, because distracted driving is on the rise.
• While over 90% of teen drivers say they don’t drink and drive, nine out of 10 say they’ve seen passengers distracting the driver, or drivers using cell phones.
• Brain power used while driving decreases by 40% when a driver listens to conversation or music.
• More than 80% of drivers admit to blatantly hazardous behavior: changing clothes, steering with a foot, painting nails and shaving.
• Drivers on mobile phones are more impaired than drivers at .08 BAC.
• An estimated million people each day chat on their mobile or send text messages while driving.
• Using cell phones while driving is a very high risk behavior with significant impact on crashes and society. More than 50 peer-reviewed scientific studies have identified the risks associated with cell phone use while driving.
• Drivers who use cell phones are four times more likely to be in a crash while using a cell phone.
• There is no difference in the cognitive distraction between hand-held and hands-free devices.
• Cell phone use contributes to an estimated 6 percent of all crashes, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths each year.
• 80 percent of crashes are related to driver inattention. There are certain activities that may be more dangerous than talking on a cell phone. However, cell phone use occurs more frequently and for longer duration than other, riskier behaviors. Thus, the #1 source of driver inattention is cell phones.
• The annual cost of crashes caused by cell phone use is estimated to be $43 billion.
• Eating while driving is also a distraction. Here are some of typical foods and beverages and the potential implications of eating while you drive:
  • Coffee: even with a travel lid, hot coffee can find its way out of the opening when you hit a bump.
  • Hot soup: many people drink it like coffee and run the same risks.
  • Tacos: any food that can disassemble itself will leave your car looking like a salad bar.
  • Chili dogs: huge potential for drips and slops down the front of clothing.
  • Hamburgers: from the grease to the toppings, it could end up on your hands and the steering wheel.
  • Ribs and wings: what’s more distracting than licking your fingers?
  • Fried chicken: more greasy hands. You’ve got to wipe them off while you’re driving.
  • Jelly donuts: it’s not possible to eat one without watching the center ooze out.
  • Soda: carbonation, fizz in the nose, lids that leak, disaster.
  • Chocolate: try to clean melted chocolate off the steering wheel without swerving.
• This focuses attention on a serious problem. Some form of driver inattention was involved in almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes, according to a study conducted by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).