Texting While Driving -

Objectives To understand the prevalence and consequences and of texting while driving To develop an action plan to talk to students about the importance of not texting while driving

The Reggie Shaw Story CLICK Why Are We Talking About This?

TEXTING AND DRIVING IS THE #1 KILLER OF U.S. TEENS (2012, Texting Awareness Foundation (TAF)) Fact #12: An online survey of 1,999 teens ages found that 86% had driven while distracted even though 84% know its dangerous (2010, AAA and Seventeen Magazine) Fact #10: 60% of drivers use cell phones while driving (2011, Harris Poll) State The Facts

Fact #1: Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field (2009, VTTI) Fact #2: A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into a crash than a non-texting driver (2009, VTTI) Fact #4: Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s a handheld or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of.08 percent (2009, University of Utah) Fact #23: Brain power used while driving decreases by 40% when a driver listens to conversations or music (2008, Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging at Carnegie Mellon University Study) State The Facts

Fact #13: 34% of teens who drive while distracted simply say they’re used to multi-tasking (2010, AAA and Seventeen Magazine) Fact #14: 32% of teens who drive while distracted don’t think anything bad will happen to them (2010, AAA and Seventeen Magazine ) A teen driver riding with one other passenger doubles the risk of being involved in a fatal car crash. With two or more passengers, the risk increases to five times as likely ( State The Facts

Fact #20: 77% of young adult drivers are very/somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving (Ad Council, 2011 ) Fact #21: 55% of young adults agree that its easy to text and pay attention to driving at the same time (Ad Council, 2011) Fact #24: 49% of adults say they have been passengers in a car when the driver was sending or reading text messages on their cell phone (2010, Pew Research Center) Fact #25: 44% of adults say they have been passengers of drivers who used the cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger (2010, Pew Research Center) State The Facts

The SENDER could also be liable for distracting a driver who crashes while texting CLICK

PLEASE BE ADVISED THE FOLLOWING VIDEO CONTAINS VERY GRAPHIC CONTENT

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62% of U.S. mobile teens say their parents 93% of U.S. mobile teens say their schools } Have placed a restriction on their mobile use According to Nielsen, schools and parents are stepping in to set parameters

“The Conversation” The Conversation consists of a series of talks between the parents and their teen drivers It should start as soon as the parent believes their child shows interest in driving The Conversation series consists of: Awareness of safe driving Driving rules and laws Explanation of good decision-making Realities of consequences “We started talking about driving when he started sitting in the front seat!” Dennis Durbin, Professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and co-scientific director of the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia converstations/ /1

“The Conversation” Where to start? Teachers and parent should educate themselves about the realities of teen driving before starting dialogue ex: Texting and driving is the #1 killer of U.S. teens, not drunk driving (2012, Texting Awareness Foundation (TAF)) Read over the rules and the laws; make a contract with your driver Make it a structured conversation so the teen driver realizes the importance Explain that driving is a privilege not a right Lead by example “Parents’ involvement and influence in the teen driving experience can literally mean the difference between life and death for their child” Susan Duchak, leader of the Allstate Foundation’s teen safe driving program converstations/ /1

What are the Texting State Policies?

Current Texas Prohibitions: 1.Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using wireless communications devices 2. Learners permit holders are prohibited from using handheld cell phones in the first six months of driving 3. Driver prohibited from using handheld devices in school crossing zones 4. Galveston and Missouri City are among the cities in Texas with local distracted driving laws – Fines up to $500 * For more information about Texas laws for teen drivers, please visit

Verbal or Written Contracts A Contract: 1. Acknowledges the risks involved in driving 2. Encourages discussion of safe driving issues and accountability 3. Establishes in writing clear expectations and consequences for breaking the rules. 4. Helps enforce Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) restrictions. GDL helps teens gain needed driving experience under lower- risk conditions. And it’s the law. * For more information about Texas laws for teen drivers, please visit

Verbal or Written Contracts We recommend that you and your teen discuss and decide each issue together These sample contracts can be a starting point to help you and your teen driver reach an agreement that best fits your expectations By entering into a written contract, you are bound by your agreement to each other to drive safely Some insurance companies also offer parent-teen driving contacts

Tips to stop texting while driving: 1.Out of sight, out of mind – 2.Turn the notifications off or actual device off 3.Download an app that turns off texting when driving (ie: Textecution, Drive Safe.ly, Free Safe Text, Phone Guard etc) 4. Have a DTF…designated texting friend 5. Pull over carefully if you MUST answer 6. Download a ringtone that will say “Texting Kills” when receiving a text or when you reach to text 7. Download an automatic response that states “Driving, get back to you when I can” when receiving a text

QUESTIONS?