US DOT Announces Decrease in Fatalities, New Efforts to Measure Distraction-Related Crashes

Motor vehicle fatalities may be at historic lows, but distracted driving is still a growing problem. The government is undertaking new measures to better track distraction-related crashes.  Read more.

Transportation Dept Launches New Anti-Distracted Driving Ads Aimed at Teens

A new public service announcement by the DOT, called "OMG," will air at movie theaters and on video screens built into some gasoline pumps this month.  "Teen drivers are particularly vulnerable to distracted driving which is why we are making an extra effort to ensure they understand the dangers," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Thanks to the help of Regal Cinemas and Outcast's PumpTop TV, we're reaching teens directly – whether they're at the movies or filling up their tanks."  Read more.

Distracted Parents Teaching Kids to Drive

USA Today reported that "Despite a four-year national campaign against distracted driving, a majority of parents admit being distracted by cellphones or other electronic devices — even while teaching their children to drive."  According to a survey by State Farm, "53% of parents admitted being distracted by the devices at least once while they were teaching their teens to drive. Teens surveyed put the number higher: 61% said their parents were distracted while helping them learn to drive."  Read more.

MetLife Sees Increase in Distracted Driving Claims

MetLife’s Auto & Home unit is now offering free brochures to combat driver distraction problems. Mike Convery, chief claim officer from MetLife Home & Auto said, “The effect of distracted driving is rapidly growing and is leading to an increase in property damage and lost lives. Every day, we receive reports of losses that could have been avoided if the basic principles of defensive driving and driver attentiveness been observed.”

CDC Analysis of Distracted Driving in U.S., Europe

A new analysis by the CDC examined the frequency of cell phone use and texting while driving in the United States and several European countries within Europe.  Among the findings:

Overall, 25% of drivers in the United States reported that they talk on their cell phone "regularly" or "fairly often" while driving.  Younger age groups had higher use, with nearly 40% of those ages 18 to 29 reporting that they talk on their cell phone "regularly" or "fairly often" while driving.

The percentage of European drivers who reported using the cell phone "regularly" or "fairly often" while driving ranged from 21% in the Netherlands to 3% in the United Kingdom.  Read more.

Enforcement Program Shows Big Reduction in Distracted Driving

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that "distracted-driving violations have fallen dramatically in Hartford and Syracuse, N.Y., as a result of high-visibility police programs."  Each of the pilot enforcement programs cost $300,000 ($200,000 in federal money and $100,000 from the states), to pay police departments to enforce the state's distracted driving laws and advertise about the issue. Citations were issued to almost 10,000 drivers in each city over the past year. Hartford saw a 57% drop in talking while driving and a nearly 75% drop in texting and driving, according to researchers.

NHTSA Chief Discusses Distracted Driving

Autoweek reported: "David Strickland has been championing safer, distraction-free driving since the beginning of his tenure at NHTSA in January 2010. Strickland has been working tirelessly toward this goal alongside stakeholders such as Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, private-sector executives, automobile manufacturers and safety advocacy groups."  More research is needed before moving forward with federal guidelines, he said.  "For us, guidelines are a stepping-off point," said Strickland. "[Auto manufacturers] have a strong obligation to do research and find that some applications are OK in the car--such as navigation, streaming Internet radio--what's suitable for a driver while they're operating a vehicle. I recognize everyone wants to be connected on the go, but if you're creating a business model in the market and it doesn't have its roots in safety, then that business model will ultimately fail."  Read more.

BBB Joins Fight Against Distracted Driving

"U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation and Better Business Bureau will collaborate to educate consumers and businesses about the dangers of distracted driving."  Read more.

Half of Companies with Cell Phone Driving Policies Enforce Compliance

Distracted driving is a growing concern among companies with large fleets of drivers.  A recent survey indicates that while many companies have adopted written cell phone driving policies, only about half (53%) make any effort to enforce compliance. Among companies that do enforce compliance, most use post-incident disciplinary measures, and only 2% currently use technology to measure or manage compliance. Read more.

Drive Safely This Weekend!

Traffic will be heavy and police will be out.  Be safe.

Distracted Driving Enforcement Initiative Ends After More Than 18,600 Tickets

 Article here.

Simulator Shows Dangers of Distracted Driving

"Sliding into the driver’s seat of a white Chevrolet Cobalt, 17-year-old Kyle Neu put one hand on the steering wheel and hit the gas.  His other hand was on a cell phone as he attempted to write a text message. 
It took only seconds for him to broadside a virtual pick-up in the driving simulation that aims to show teens the dangers of texting while behind the wheel."  Read more

Courant: Get More Serious About Distracted Driving

The Hartford Courant calls for stiffer penalties and greater enforcement to curb distracted driving.

Comic Strip Deals with Distracted Driving

USA Today reported that "The popular comic strip Zits will use its forum in more than 1,600 newspapers this week to remind teens and parents of the dangers of texting while driving.  The week-long story line will feature Zits' 16-year-old Jeremy; it was produced in cooperation with AAA, which also will use the strips in its online safe-driving resources for teens."  Read more.

AAA: 41% of Drivers Admit to Falling Asleep Behind the Wheel

"Two out of every five drivers, about 41 percent, admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel at some point, with one in 10 saying they’ve done so in the past year, according to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study."  Read more.

CT's Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign Ends After Thousands of Tickets

The final wave of the "Phone in one hand. Ticket in the other" pilot campaign to test the effectiveness of high-visibility enforcement for distracted driving was conducted recently in Hartford, CT. The program funded by the Department of Transportation was started last spring to test whether increased law enforcement and public advertising could help deter drivers from talking, texting, or checking email with a handheld cell phone while behind the wheel. The previous three waves resulted in over 7,200 tickets given out for handheld cell phone use and texting in Hartford. After the first two waves, handheld cell phone use dropped 56% in Hartford and 38% in Syracuse. Texting while driving was reduced by 68% in Hartford and 42% in Syracuse.  Read more.

Study: Older Drivers Less Likely to Notice Street-Side Pedestrians

A new study published by the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention found that drivers over 65 were half as likely to notice pedestrians near or moving toward the street as were experienced drivers between the ages of 28 and 45. Compared to younger drivers simulating a drive through a variety of streetscapes, those over 65 tapped on their brakes in response to a "roadside hazard" about half as often, suggesting either that they did not see it or that they did not consider it something they needed to attend to. Pedestrians who were not in an older driver's central field of vision often went unnoticed, the authors noted. The good news is that the older drivers drive about 20% more slowly -- perhaps to compensate for shortcomings in their peripheral vision and attention. Diminished notice of or attention to items in peripheral vision is a well-documented effect of aging. The Ben-Gurion researchers undertook the study because Israeli drivers over 65 have been involved in a steadily rising rate of accidents involving pedestrians since 1999.  Read more.

Informal Survey: 19% Surf Web While Driving

About one in five drivers admitted in an informal online survey to surfing the Internet while behind the wheel despite a national campaign to curb distracted driving.  Some drivers say they access the Internet when they are stopped at a light or stuck in traffic. In the November survey, more than 19% reported accessing the Internet on a cell phone at least once a week while driving. That compares with 74% who reported making or receiving calls at least once weekly while driving and 35% who reported sending or receiving text messages at least that frequently.  Read more.

Poll: Distracted Drivers Don't Get It

One-third of young drivers (under age 30) in a recent poll by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Consumer Reports magazine don't feel distracted driving is dangerous.  Read more.

CBS: 30% of young people text while driving

CBS reported that according to the April issue of Consumer Reports, 16% of all teenage drivers involved in a fatal crash reported being distracted while driving. Also, 63% of the respondents who were under 30 told Consumer Reports they had used handheld phones while driving within the previous month, and nearly one-third said they had texted while driving.

AAA Will Continue Pushing Texting Bans

AAA said last month it looks to build on a relatively successful campaign of traffic safety law reforms in 2010. In particular, the organization will continue to push for more state texting bans and primary seatbelt laws. AAA says it is working with legislators and other safety advocates in statehouses across the country to draft and pass legislation in 2011 that will make roads safer. The organization's main traffic safety priorities in the states include texting while driving bans, primary seatbelt laws, move over laws, teen driver safety and booster seat laws.  Read more.

College Gives Hands-On Demonstrations of Drunk, Distracted Driving

MyFox Orlando notes that textbooks are important, "but hands-on learning is usually more effective. That's why the University of Central Florida has opted for a fun way to combat drunk and distracted driving."  Check it out.

States Now Going After Distracted Pedestrians

USA Today reports that "After targeting drivers who paid more attention to their phone calls and text messages than the road, lawmakers in Arkansas and New York are now looking to crack down on pedestrians equally distracted by their own electronic gadgets."  Read more.