DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION

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DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION
George Smagala Health Safety Consultant Central
Region
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Session Outline

• Magnitude of the problem of Distracted Driving
• Definitions
• Types of Distractions
• Information Overload!
• The Concept of Inattentional Blindness
• Legal consequences
• Action Plan

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Magnitude of the Distracted Driving Problem

• Recent research indicates distracted driving
  plays a role in more than 80 of all motor
  vehicle collisions (Virginia Tech Trans.
  Institute-2009).
• In North America that amounts to more than 4
  million collisions a year or 11,000 per day.
  (NHTSA-2006)

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Insurance Hotline.com asked 1014 drivers What
are the most common driving distractions?

• 24 - Loose object in car 19 - Cell phone 16
  - External distractions 7 - Passengers /
  children 5 - CD or radio adjusting 4 -
  Reading / writing 3 - Eating / drinking 2
  - Grooming, hair, make-up 2 - Smoking 1 -
  Car controls 15 - Other Survey shows that
  drivers ARE familiar with various distractions

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Distracted Driving can result in.

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Distracted Driving can result in.
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Driving While Distracted is Dangerous

• Where do YOU fit in?
• Owner
• President
• Manager
• Supervisor
• Employee
• As one of these individuals, do you have a
  responsibility?
• What is that responsibility?
• Does your company have a Policy regarding
  in-vehicle electronic devices?

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Common items found in an office.

• Telephone
• Fax machine
• Computer
• Printer
• Radio/T.V./Wireless devices
• Coffee maker
• Microwave oven

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Common items available for vehicles

• Telephone
• Fax machine
• Hand-held devices
• Computer
• Printer
• Radio/DVD/T.V./Wireless Devices
• GPS Navigation device
• Coffee maker
• Microwave oven

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If you install it, they will use it!!!
These and many other devices encourage drivers to
become distracted
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Definitions

• Attention applying the mind to a task
• Focus directed attention to a task.
• Distract to divert ones attention to a
  different object or task.
• Multitasking attending to many task
  simultaneously.

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Definitions

• Telematics In-vehicle electronic devices such
  as cell phones, route navigation systems, on
  board computers, other multifunctional systems.
• Time from innovation to installation is rapid.

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3 Levels of Attention

• Selective attending to one task and ignoring
  information not relevant to that task.
• Divided Attending to more that one task at a
  time.
• Automatic Low attentional demands. Some tasks
  are over-learned.

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3 Sensory Inputs

• While driving, we choose to be bombarded/influence
  d by an excessive flow of information
  activities
• Visual Billboards, non-traffic-related external
  events, GPS, scenery, pedestrians, stores, etc
• Internal anxieties, upsets, self talk, road
  rage, etc
• Auditory radio, CD, cell phone AND passenger
  conversations, GPS, etc

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We all have limits!

• Mental resource capacity for handling all
  incoming sensory data is limited,
• Demands we place on our mental capacity is
  sometimes too large to handle,
• When we exceed this capacity, driving hazards are
  not identified, plans are not formulated,
  avoidance actions are not executed
• PEOPLE become VICTIMS.

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Can you spot the Distracted Driver???
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Can you spot the Distracted People??
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MULTI-TASKING
Have you ever multi-tasked while driving???


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MULTI-TASKING
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Types of Distractions

• Environmental (outside the vehicle)
• Situational
• (inside the vehicle)
• Psychological (inside you)

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Types of Distractions

• Environmental Animals, construction, other
  vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians, road crashes

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Examples of Types of Distractions

• Situational listening to music, drinking
  beverages, eating, changing tape or cd, reading
  map, talking on phone, personal grooming,
  playing the clarinet, texting,
  flossing teeth, accessing computer information.

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Examples of Types of Distractions

• Psychological worrying, planning, anxieties,
  emotions, reviewing, daydreaming, fatigue

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Inattentional Blindness

• Brain can actually be impaired when you are
  talking on a cell phone.
• You see things with your retina but it doesnt
  get cognitively processed by the brain.
• Defect of concentration.
• Potential hazard may not cognitively register.
• A complicated cell phone conversation is a very
  demanding activity for the brain.
• You are 400 more likely to get into a collision
  when talking on your cell.

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Cell Phone Use
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Other Research

• Hands-free phones are not risk-free. There is NO
  difference in cognitive distraction between
  hand-held hands-free cell phone conversations.
  (Univ. of Utah-2006)

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• What does the Law
• say about distracted
• driving?

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Ontario Highway Traffic Act Careless Driving
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Criminal Code of Canada Criminal Negligence

• Section 219. Every one is criminally negligent
  who
• in doing anything, or
• in omitting to do anything that it is his duty to
  do, shows wanton or reckless disregard for the
  lives or safety of other persons

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Criminal Code of Canada

• Section 249 (1)(a) Dangerous operation of a motor
  vehicle equals Sub-Sec.(2)(a) 5 years
  imprisonment
• Sec. 249 (3) Dangerous operation causing bodily
  harm equals 10 years imprisonment
• Sec. 249 (4) Dangerous operation causing death
  equals 14 years imprisonment

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Is someone showing disregard for others?
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What can we do to Prevent Distracted Driving??

• Implement and follow company policies
• Buckle Up Your best defense
• Check your route before you leave home
• Do personal grooming at home
• Familiarize yourself with your vehicles
  equipment before driving
• Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the
  wheel (Jim Morrison-1970)
• Remove items which may cause distractions

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What else can we do to Prevent Distracted
Driving??

• Pull over to eat or drink
• Never take notes or multitask using computers,
  printers, fax machines while in motion
• Never drive if you are impaired by stress,
  fatigue, alcohol, telematics or drugs
• Take a Defensive Driving course!

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Distracted Driving Action Plan

• A personal commitment
• Not to drive while distracted
• Go to a safe area to use in-vehicle office
  devices
• Never talk on the cell phone while driving
• Never e-mail or text while driving
• Remember, it starts with
  YOU!!!!

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Questions

• Thank You for attending

George Smagala Health Safety Consultant Central
Region