Distracted Driving Summit an opportunity to build on progress, new information

Cross-posted from  National Journal's Transportation Experts blog

This week the Department of Transportation hosts our second national Distracted Driving Summit. This summit brings together transportation experts, safety advocates, law enforcement officials, industry representatives, academic researchers, and distracted driving victims.

And to share the wealth of information the summit promises, we're webcasting it at www.distraction.gov and blogging about the proceedings live at fastlane.dot.gov.

We're hosting this summit because there is important work to be done. In 2009, as indicated by data I shared with the Orlando Sentinel yesterday, distracted driving-related crashes caused at least 5,500 deaths in the U.S. and upward of 450,000 injuries.

And, because many police departments do not routinely document distraction factors in their crash reporting, I think it's safe to say these numbers are only the tip of the iceberg.

But once you've met the victims and the loved ones left behind by this dangerous behavior, it gets even worse. Because then you understand that we are not talking about numbers, but about lives being broken and people being killed in crashes that are 100% preventable.

You can watch this video clip from ABC's Good Morning America to see what I mean.

At the summit, panelists will take stock of the progress we've made in our fight to end this deadly epidemic. And we will reassess the challenges and opportunities ahead.

The challenges? Those are probably familiar to most of us. Americans are hooked on multi-tasking. We are. We're hooked on our devices and we can't put them down, even when it means jeopardizing our own safety and the safety of others.

And we have young people texting habitually long before they learn to drive who then can't even imagine turning off their devices when they climb behind the wheel.

But the opportunities are promising. First, we have 30 states that have outlawed texting behind the wheel, and eight of those states have banned all handheld phone use while driving.

We also have seen a tremendous wave of grassroots. People like Kari Galassi and Jodi Brubaker, who began distributing yellow "Get off the phone!" car window signs in their Hinsdale, Illinois, community. Or the group of high school students from Sanford, Florida, who formed Reynolds' Right Hands to raise awareness about distracted driving after their teacher Christy Reynolds was killed last year. Across the nation, we've seen a groundswell of support and advocacy whether in communities and workplaces or on Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to these preventive developments, we can add some encouraging news from the enforcement side of the safety equation.

Our pilot programs with police departments in Syracuse and Hartford are reporting that high-visibility enforcement combined with stepped-up public service announcements has resulted in declines in driver cell phone use of 38% in Syracuse and 56% in Hartford. The data on texting in those cities is even more impressive with texting down 42% in Syracuse and a very promising 68% in Hartford.

I can't emphasize the importance of these results enough because many state legislators have opposed texting and cell phone bans for drivers on the grounds that they can't be enforced. Our ongoing pilot programs may be demonstrating otherwise.

These positive trends are grounds for hope, but they don't mean we can relent. Rather, they tell me that now is the time to leverage this momentum by redoubling our efforts to end this deadly practice and persuade people to take the personal responsibility for safety that comes with a driver's license.

This week, I'm hoping the panelists at our Distracted Driving Summit will help point those efforts in a productive direction.

Comments

[Suzanne from Young Drivers of Canada]

I am writing from Young Drivers of Canada and wanted to comment on this great initiative. The creation of this Summit is something that should be applauded for bringing attention to road safety issues and creating a national and international dialogue about the consequences of distracted driving.

Drivers need to know what is going on 360 degrees around their vehicle at all times while driving. Dividing your attention between tasks puts you at risk because your focus is off the road. With over 90% of collisions caused by driver error there are too many avoidable tragedies on the road resulting in serious injury or death where distraction is a key factor.

Our hope is that governments will continue their efforts to improve road safety and commit to reducing the number of road deaths and injuries.

The roads are a co-operative environment and it is up to the drivers to give action to messages like no texting and driving and keep themselves and others alive.

Suzanne - Young Drivers of Canada
http://www.yd.com
Twitter @YoungDrivers
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Young-Drivers-of-Canada/137439059628388?ref=ts

[Heidi]

Despite it being illegal here in San Diego, I see many drivers chatting away on their hand-held phones. On the other hand, I have seen drivers go through their office binders, reading books, and applying makeup while driving on busy highways. Considering that driving requires constant concentration, some drivers behave as if they'd be able to concentrate on more than driving and the usual flow of thoughts that can be distracting enough. For safety reasons, it would be wonderful if there'd be enough enforcement personnel to enforce the laws we have; the collected fines would probably pay for more than the officers' salaries giving out tickets. It would certainly make the streets safer than they are now.

[Martin the fundraiser auction guy]

The more advanced our technology becomes, the more distracted we individuals are. We have so many gimmicks, aids, books, phones, radios, tvs (no kidding, I saw a driver watching her portable tv in stop and go traffic just the other day) not to mention food, drinks, shaving, makeup, etc., etc. It’s a wonder anyone ever arrives at their destination in one piece.

[Yash Pal Singh]

We have been looking at this problem for several years, and have developed a system that automatically blocks cell phone use by vehicle drivers. The system has been patented in the USA, EU, and India(US Patent No. 7,181,229). The system makes use of low frequency signals posing no health hazard, is driver specific -- allows passengers to talk, and can be incorporated in vehicles and cell phones with minor modifications very economically.
The problem is that only one system has to be adopted globally -- different systems in different vehicles and cell phones would defeat the very purpose. A strong action by the Governments or the International Tele-com Union is required for eliminating this nuisance.

Yash Pal Singh

[Ted Johnson]

This is such an important safty area and deserves tons of attention. It seems that driving has become such a part of our everyday lives that we have become very casual about the experience. We don't consider the power, weight and protential destruction that a car can cause in just a split second of a drivers eyes being diverted from the road. Perhap some PSA's demonstrating this point would be helpful.

[Matthew Gulbranson]

I have a great idea for a public service announcement and new phrase to get drivers to stop driving and using cell phones to either talk or text. The new motto should be, "Shut Up and Drive". As an actor I would be happy to appear in this PSA. We should ask the song writer and artist, Rihanna, for permission to use her song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up7pvPqNkuU&ob=av3e

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2782855/

[Kenya]

It is true that distracted driving is cause for concern all efoorts to thwart the related accidents should be commended. Radio is distraction enough but reading, speaking on phone and eating are simply not acceptable.

[Lucas]

Very glad to run into this blog. We have recently been working on a few articles related to distracted driving in our community. I had hoped you may like to read some our articles. I tried to reblog one of your posts, but unfortunately our blog is built on Wordpress. Look forward to speaking with you.

[Lucas]

Here is an blog article I just posted, on unrestrained pets in vehicles. It was published locally in the Ridgefield Patch. http://www.hcwlaw.com/blog/2010/11/ct-law-driving-unrestrained-pet/ Keep up the great work!

[Peter]

I found this article to be very relevant even to those of us living in Australia. Driving distracted when using your mobile phone is illegal here as well but heaps of people are still doing it. It is in fact illegal even to touch your phone while you are driving.
How you stop people from doing it will be a perpetual issue. Increasing the fines or even losing your licence may be an option.

[jerry trail]

great post,i found it interesting and informative but to get to the point,a cell phone is very distracting.i have to admit i have driven whike talking on the cell phone before. that is bad enough but i see people texting while driving everyday,now thats crazy.