April is National Distracted Driving Month

Each day, more than 16 people are killed and more than 1,300 people are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. Distracted driving is driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving; these activities can increase the chance of a motor vehicle crash.

There are three main types of distraction:

• Visual—taking your eyes off the road;
• Manual—taking your hands off the wheel; and
• Cognitive—taking your mind off what you are doing.

Distracted driving activities include things like using a cell phone, texting, eating, drinking, and talking with passengers. Using in-vehicle technologies (such as navigation systems) and portable communication devices can also be sources of distraction. While any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others, texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.

How big is the problem?

• In 2008, nearly 6,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver and more than 500,000 people were injured.
• The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of a fatal crash has increased from 8 percent in 2004 to 11 percent in 2008.
• When asked whether driving feels safer, less safe, or about the same as it did five years ago, more than 1 in 3 drivers say driving feels less safe today. Distracted driving—cited by 3 out of 10 of these drivers—was the single most common reason given for feeling less safe today.

What are the risk factors?

• Some activities—such as texting—take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods than other distractions.
• Younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 may be at highest risk because they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

How can distracted driving be prevented?

• Many states are enacting laws—such as banning texting while driving—or using graduated driver licensing systems for teen drivers to help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to keep it from occurring.
• On October 1, 2009, President Obama issued an executive order prohibiting federal employees from texting while driving on government business or with government equipment.
• In January 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration enacted an interim ban that prohibits commercial vehicle drivers from texting while behind the wheel. In March 2010, a proposed rule was announced that would make that ban stronger and more durable.
• The Department of Transportation recently launched a national campaign to encourage the public to get involved in ending distracted driving.   Put It Down focuses on the key messages that drivers can’t do two things at once, and everyone has a personal responsibility to pay attention while behind the wheel.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—While many believe summer is the most dangerous season on U.S. roads because motorists tend to drive faster, drink more alcohol and drive more often for leisure, a new report by the University of Michigan suggests otherwise.

Fatality crash rates are highest in the fall, with October at the top of the list (10.2 deaths per billion kilometers), according to a study in the current issue of the journal Traffic Injury Prevention.

Using the fatality data and distance-driven data from the Department of Transportation, Michael Sivak of the U-M Transportation Research Institute calculated the fatality rate and per distance driven for each month from 1994 to 2006.

He found that October, November and December have the highest fatality rates and March the lowest (8.8 deaths per billion kilometers), followed by February and April. From March to October, rates increase each month and then decline from October to March, despite the winter weather.

“The risk of a fatality per distance driven in October is about 16 percent greater than the risk in March,” Sivak said. “Everything else being equal, inclement weather—snow and ice—-should increase the risk of driving. However, because inclement weather also leads to general reductions in speed, the net effect is not clear.”

Likewise, there are several factors more prevalent during summer that would suggest that the driving risk should be greater during those months, Sivak says.

“For example, leisure driving, which occurs more frequently on unfamiliar roads, at higher speeds, at night and under the influence of alcohol, is riskier than commuter driving,” he said. “Although hard data are not available, leisure driving is likely to be most frequent during summer months when school is out. In addition, consumption of beer shows a strong seasonal variation, peaking in summer months.”

So why are October, November and December more dangerous for motorists than other months of the year? One possible reason could be the duration of darkness, which increases in the fall and is longest in late December. But Sivak says there is no single cause.

“There are several known factors with major influences on the risk of driving that show strong seasonal variations,” he said. “However, the peaks and troughs of the seasonal variations of these factors do not fully match the pattern of the overall driving risk. Thus, the driving-risk pattern is likely a consequence of joint contributions of several factors.”

Has this ever happened to you?  You are driving down the road when ALL OF A SUDDEN you realize you are crossing into another lane or driving off the road?  You wake up just in time to avoid a collision or incident.  Many drivers are too late.  Drowsy drivers are a major danger on the road.  More than 100,000 motor vehicle crashes each year are a result of drowsy driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates.

Because of their work schedules, shift-workers are at a significant risk for drowsy driving incidents.  Studies from the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), indicate that about 25% or higher, reported having a traffic accident or close call in the last year.

Driving while fatigued is a problem for a number of reasons.   According to NSF, drowsiness has a number of physical side effects that can impair driving, including tunnel vision, shortened attention span and reduced reaction times.  Drowsy drivers can’t process information as quickly or as accurately as an alert one.  This makes it much more difficult for a drowsy driver to become aware of a potential accident and react to it.

Fact or Fiction

Many people have misconceptions about sleep, which NSF dispels:

Caffeine can overcome drowsiness while driving.  Only sleep can truly overcome drowsiness.  Caffeine may make you feel more alert, but the results are temporary.  People who take stimulants while severely sleep-deprived are likely to have “micro sleeps,” which are essentially four to five second naps.  A vehicle traveling at 55 mph can cover more than 100 yards in four to five seconds.

I’m a safe driver so it doesn’t matter if I am sleepy.
The only safe driver is an alert driver.  When fatigued, ever the BEST drivers become confused and use poor judgment.

I can’t take naps.
Despite the fact that many people insist they cannot nap, sleep-deprived people can usually nap if they give themselves the chance.  Even if you think you can’t nap, pull over and recline for about 15 minutes.  It is likely you will be able to fall asleep.  Always be sure you do so in a safe area and lock ALL your doors.

I can tell when I am going to fall asleep.
Most people believe they can control and predict when they are about to fall asleep, NOT TRUE.  A drowsy person can fall asleep without even being aware of it.  People are also unable to tell how long they have been asleep.  It only takes a few seconds of sleep to cause a major collision or incident.
When Drowsiness Strikes
Under no circumstances should you drive while drowsy.  Turning up the radio, rolling down the window, getting out of the care and running, or slapping yourself (I know you have done at least one of these) are not effective means of waking yourself up.  The ONLY remedy for drowsiness is sleep.

If you find yourself becoming sleep while behind the wheel, other signs include:
· Drifting in and out of your lane
· Driving over the rumble strips
You should pull over immediately.  YOU HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP!!!

Some options for getting home safely include:
· taking a nap on the side of the road
· calling someone to drive you home
· taking a cab or public transportation

Drowsy driving incidents most often occur when a driver is alone in the vehicle.  Carpooling provides someone who can alert a driver of danger and can take over behind the wheel if necessary.

You can also take measures to prevent drowsiness from happening.  The average person requires about seven (7) to nine (9) hours of sleep.  Try and stick to a regular sleep schedule where you are getting this amount of sleep.  Shift-workers may have more difficultly maintaining a regular sleep schedule.  If you are required to sleep in the daytime hours, be sure to keep your room as dark as possible.  You can wear a sleep mask.  Run a fan or use other constant noise to block outside sounds.

Good uninterrupted sleep is essential for safety on the job and on the road.