Transcript very dangerous

Texas State Wide Injury Prevention Initiative
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What is
distracted driving?
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Distracted Driving
Driving while engaged in any
activity that could divert a
persons attention away from
the primary task of driving
Source: Distraction.gov/NHTSA
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3 Types of Distraction
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Brain Overload
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Those that text while driving
are 23 times more likely
to be in a crash
Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (www.vtti.vt.edu/)
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When drivers read or send
a text message, their
reaction time is doubled.
When asked to respond to
a flashing light while
texting behind the wheel,
drivers were more than 11
times more likely to miss
the light altogether.
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How long does texting
take your eyes off the road?
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Texting and driving takes your eyes
off the road for an average of 5
seconds at a time.
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At 55 mph, that equals taking
your eyes off the road for
a distance of 300 feet
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Do Hands-Free Devices
Reduce the Risk?
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Teen Driver Survey Findings:
97% of teens say texting while driving is
dangerous, but 43% admit to doing so
Almost all teens (9 in 10) expect a reply to a
text or email within 5 minutes or less, which
puts pressure on them to respond while
driving
According to 77% of teens, adults tell kids not
to text or email while driving – yet adults do it
themselves “all the time”.
Source: ATT “It Can Wait” Campaign
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You have Power!
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You have power!
• Acknowledge the behavior
• Without being confrontational, let the
driver know your concerns
• Suggest that the driver pull over to a
safe location to check texts or listen to
voice mails
• As a passenger, offer to share
responsibility so that the driver does
not drive distracted
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Speak up for your safety
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There are two sides to
distracted driving
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=
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Teen Driver Survey
Teens uniformly know that texting
while driving is dangerous (97% say it is dangerous,
including 75% who say it is
very dangerous), however only 70% of
Teens say that texting while stopped at a
red light is dangerous, with only 33%
saying it is very dangerous.
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FACT
Car accidents are the number one cause of teen
deaths, killing more than 3,500 per year and
seriously injuring over 400,000 of teens
Texting and distracted driving is a factor in 8 out
of 10 accidents, and young drivers have the
highest distracted driving fatality rate of all
age groups
Over 50% of teens admit to texting while driving
because they do not believe it is dangerous
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Did you know…
• Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 39
states and the District of Columbia
• Novice drivers are banned from texting in 5
states (Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico,
Oklahoma and TEXAS)
• School bus drivers are banned from text
messaging in 3 states (Mississippi, Oklahoma
and TEXAS)
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Do you know Texas law?
Hand held ban
Young drivers all
cellphone ban
Bus drivers all
cellphone ban
Texting ban
Enforcement
Drivers in school
crossing zones
Drivers younger
than 18
Bus drivers when a
passenger 17 and
younger is present
Bus drivers when a
passenger 17 and
younger is present;
drivers in school
crossing zones;
drivers younger
than 18
Primary
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Although we have
enforcement of cell
phone usage among
some driver
populations….
We need more to help
reduce the number of
injuries from this
deadly behavior
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“Be the change that you wish to
see in the world.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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