Distractions

Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes, according to a report released in 2006 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI).

• Nearly 80%of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.  Primary causes of driver inattention are distracting activities, such as cell phone use and drowsiness.

• Drivers who engage frequently in distracting activities are more likely to be involved in an inattention-related crash or near-crash.  However, drivers are often unable to predict when it is safe to look away from the road to multi-task because the situation can change abruptly leaving the driver no time to react even when looking away from the forward roadway for only a brief time.

• Reaching for a moving object increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by 9 times; looking at an external object by 3.7 times; reading by 3 times; applying makeup by 3 times; dialing a hand-held device (typically a cell phone) by almost 3 times; and talking or listening on a hand-held device by 1.3 times. 

• The most common distraction for drivers is the use of cell phones.  However, the number of crashes and near-crashes attributable to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening.  Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.

• Using a hands-free or blue tooth device may help reduce your chances of becoming distracted while driving due to dialing. Remember texting while driving is illegal and cell phone use is prohibited if you are under the age of 18. 

• National studies show that carrying one teenage passenger almost doubles the fatal crash rate for teenage drivers. Know the passenger restrictions in the Graduated Drivers License rules.

• Teens have a greater risk of becoming distracted when riding with friends. Simple driver error is a factor of 67% of fatal teen crashes.  Teens are more likely to make careless decisions when there friends are in the car according to a survey conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 

• Distractions proven to kill teens are teen passengers and cell phones.

• Driving while fatigued can be a major distraction. If you drive after being awake for 18 hours straight it is the equivelent to driving with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08g/dl.

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For more information about the PART Safety Program
email Philw@partnc.org