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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