MS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY DISTRACTED DRIVING IN MISSISSIPPI 2011

Mississippi: Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury-related deaths Highest motor vehicle fatality death rate in the nation

Distracted Driving Research: 75% of adults talk on a cell phone while driving 33% of adults admit they text while driving 86.6% of adults have been passengers with drivers talking on their cell phones 53.2% of adults have been passengers with drivers texting

Distracted Driving Research: Younger drivers are more likely to talk and text on cell phones while driving.

Texting Distractions: Visual - looking at the cell phone while reading or composing a message Manual - holding the phone and typing messages Cognitive - thinking about the message being read or composed

Texting While Driving: Drivers are at 23 times higher crash risk when texting while driving At 55 mph, drivers can drive the length of a football field without observing the road when texting. (Out of a 6-second text, 4.6 seconds are spent looking at phone.) Virginia Tech Transportation Institute 2009 Research Report

Distracted Drivers: Almost 50% who talked, texted, or emailed have experienced an adverse event while driving, such as drifting into another lane or off the road.

Distracted Drivers: 76% of survey respondents said they had observed another driver, who was using a cell phone, driving in a way that put others in danger. 4% reported they had been in a car crash or fender bender caused by a driver using a cell phone.

Distracted Driving: Adverse events reported while talking, texting, or emailing while driving

Distracted Driving Challenges: Drivers report little risk from cell phone tasks Teenagers have more confidence that they can multitask Drivers resist change if they multitask without consequence Data can not always verify what occurred before a crash Considerable variability in risk estimates Driving School Association of the Americas – Tulsa, Oklahoma Kenneth Copeland

Strategic Communications Planning: Policy driven Laws, public support Program driven Data-based countermeasures Communication driven Market research, creative development Driving School Association of the Americas – Tulsa, Oklahoma Kenneth Copeland

Countermeasures: Legislation Education Enforcement Employer programs Technology to limit use Roadway improvements Driving School Association of the Americas – Tulsa, Oklahoma Kenneth Copeland

Current Policies and Legislation: Most states have partial bans on cell phone use. Mississippi has a texting ban for drivers with a learner’s permit or intermediate license.

Current Policies and Legislation: Most Mississippians support distracted driving-related cell phone bans. 70% support a ban on hand-held cell phone conversations for all drivers 50% support a ban on all cell phone conversations (hand-held and hands-free) for all drivers 84.5% supporting a texting ban for all drivers

Policies and Legislation: Percentage of adults supporting or opposing distracted driving legislation in Mississippi

Behavioral Research: 75% of drivers would stop or reduce cell phone conversations except for emergencies if a ban were to be enacted. 80% of drivers would stop or reduce their texting if a ban against texting while driving was passed.

Enforcement Issues: The dangers of hands-free devices have been noted in experimental and crash-based studies, though their use can be difficult to detect. Bans on hand-held calling and texting might be more easily enforced since officers can visually identify usage of the phone.

Partnerships Needed for: Improving In-Vehicle Technologies Lobbying and Legislation Public Education Campaigns: • Paid Media (Radio TV, Website Ads, Social Media, etc.) • Earned Media (Press Conferences, Interviews, etc.)