Emily Gartland and Debra Ferris GSA Fleet Safety and National Safety Council Brief intro- who we are, what our organizations do Today we’ll give you facts about the problem, help you understand why it’s important to You personally, and send you out to be ambassadors for the solutions July 13, 2010 This presentation was made in collaboration with the National Safety Council

Embrace Life This presentation was made in collaboration with the National Safety Council

Crashes are No Accident 6,420,000 auto crashes in the United States in a year 98% of crashes are caused by human error Every...5…seconds.. a car crash occurs

Costly in Dollars $230 Billion dollars annually in the US The average company pays $740 for every employee each year in off-the job injuries including coast associated with absenteeism, health care and productivity and unscheduled work interruptions

Costly in Lives 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States - one death every 13 minutes. Leading cause of death ages 1-44 Driving is your most dangerous daily activity- treat it that way

Top Six Human Driver Errors Failure to wear a seatbelt Excessive speeding Distraction/inattentiveness - eating, drinking, smoking, radio, cell phone.. Incorrect assumptions about other drivers Tailgating/not leaving enough space between vehicles Not checking traffic before pulling out or crossing lanes Seatbelt- you are 25 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured when thrown clear into the air 50% of people who die in motor vehicle crashes could have been saved had they worn a seatbelt Driver distraction is one out of 6 we have here, but it’s one we need to focus on because of the growing danger of driver distractions According to the Trauma Society, distracted driving is a national epidemic that killed more than 6,000 people in 2008

Three Types of Driver Distraction Visual – eyes off the road Crash risk up to 1.5x Mechanical – hands off the wheel Crash risk up to 1.6x Cognitive – mind off driving Higher risk due to brain overload and selective attention.

Combining Distractions Combination of visual and mechanical Crash risk up to 3.8x Combinations of visual, mechanical and cognitive Generally highest risks 3x-23x Reading 3.4x Reaching for a moving object 8.8x Turning around in seat 8.8x Texting 8-23x Cell phone conversations 4x

Distraction Risk vs. Duration Most are low risk - eating, drinking, listening to radio, passengers High frequency and duration Some are higher risk - reading, putting on makeup, reaching for something Infrequent or for short durations Cell phone use causes the most crashes since it’s high risk and a lot of people are doing it for an extended period of time.

Cell Phones: A Distraction Like No Other Talking on cell phones increases crash risk 4x More than 100 million people are talking while driving 11% of all drivers at any moment Result: 1.4 million crashes/year (25% of all crashes) are caused by cell phone use. ©National Safety Council 2010 10

Brain Overload The parietal activation associated with driving National Safety Council Brain Overload The parietal activation associated with driving decreases by 37% with sentence listening. Brain imaging scientists liken this to plugging in an iron and a hairdryer at the same time, causing brownout. Cell Phone Use While Driving 11

Inattention Blindness National Safety Council Inattention Blindness What a driver in a simulator saw when not using a phone. What the same driver saw while on a phone conversation. Cell Phone Use While Driving 12

Frame of vision of drivers not using a phone. National Safety Council TUNNEL VISION Frame of vision of drivers not using a phone. Frame of vision of same drivers during phone conversations. Cell Phone Use While Driving 13

No Such Thing as “Multitasking” National Safety Council No Such Thing as “Multitasking” Driving and talking on a phone requires the brain to switch back and forth between these tasks. There is a “reaction-time switching cost” One task “primary” and the other “secondary.” When driving is a secondary task for the brain, driving becomes impaired. Cell Phone Use While Driving 14

Hands-free Devices do not Reduce the Risk National Safety Council Hands-free Devices do not Reduce the Risk 23 studies reported negative effects of cell phone use on handheld phones. (Horrey & Wickens, 2006) 33 studies found effects in reaction time, speed, headway and lateral lane position, for hands-free phones. (Caird, et al., 2008) Cell Phone Use While Driving 15

Isn’t it just as dangerous talking to a passenger? FAQ Isn’t it just as dangerous talking to a passenger? With a passenger: You can rely on many non-verbal cues to understand the other person Passengers can see your driving environment Passengers can serve as an additional lookout for hazards As a result, passengers actually reduce crash risk for adult drivers – not true for novice teen drivers

Texting while Driving Texting while driving = 6 times more likely to result in an accident than driving while intoxicated Texting while driving brings eyes off the road an average of 4.6 out of 6 seconds At 55 MPH, one would travel the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road

Executive Order 13513 October 1, 2009 FEDERAL LEADERSHIP ON REDUCING TEXT MESSAGING WHILE DRIVING Prohibits federal employees from texting behind the wheel while working or while using government vehicles and communications devices

Solutions to Change Behavior New policies and laws and strong, visible enforcement of those laws. Cell phone bans in organizations to reduce work-related risks. Development of technologies to prevent calls and messages from being sent or received from moving vehicles. Widespread education to change social acceptance. Make it meaningful to each individual ©National Safety Council 2010 20

Implement Enforced Policy (or Exposed to Liability) Dykes Industries: $20.9 million International Paper: $5.2 million State of Hawaii: $2.5 million Dykes Industries of Little Rock, Ark., lost a $20.9 million personal injury suit in which its employee was using a cell phone when involved in a crash An International Paper company employee was using her company-supplied cell phone when she rear-ended a vehicle driven by another woman, resulting in a crash that cost the company $5.2 million The State of Hawaii agreed to pay $2.5 million as its share of liability in an accident involving a state employee who was talking on her cell phone when she hit a tourist ©National Safety Council 2010 21

Technology Solutions Cellcontrol OBD trigger device, commercially available Key2Safe Driving An in car device that wirelessly connects with a cell phone through Bluetooth iZup (Illume Software) Launching soon, handset solution Zoom Safer Downloadable app currently available for RIM devices. Try Safety First A chip in phones similar to V chip in Televisions Guardian Angel Announced in April 2009 Jamming technology – FCC challenges DriveAssist (Aegis Mobility) Wireless network solution using GPS and WiFi Partnered with Nationwide Insurance

Providing Education Increase understanding of the research Parents educate teens. Organizations & leaders educate employees. Peer-to-peer viral strategies for teens. Wireless industry reach customers and public. Legislators enact laws. Develop strategies to change the culture and make it socially unacceptable to use a cell phone while driving. Use emotion and personal stories.

What this means to you personally If all the people in the cars around you were your loved ones, how would that change the way you drive? Everyone in the cars around you is somebody’s loved one- let’s look out for each other.

We all Have a Story.. Sept 27, 2009, Randy and 3 friends decided to take a motorcycle day-trip. They rode most of the day thru Virginia and southern Maryland, stopping for lunch on Solomon Island. Toward the end of the trip, as they neared each members home, they dropped off of the group, Randy was the last, and headed home alone. After he exited the interstate near his home, while approaching a green light at an intersection, he saw a car coming from the right that wasn't going to stop. He began slowing and steering to avoid a collision, and altered his path to pass behind the vehicle. What he didn't count on, was the driver, after realizing her error, performing a U-turn in the center of the 4-lane intersection to avoid hitting other cars... That maneuver put her vehicle directly back into the path of Randy on his motorcycle....there wasn't enough time to make another correction to avoid the car. The crash sent Randy flying over the handlebars of his motorcycle, and over the car that he struck broadside. He suffered a severely broken right hand, a dislocated left thumb, a shattered left tibia plateau (knee), and broken left fibula just below the knee. Only 2 months before, he and his wife had celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary, fortunately them, they were able to celebrate their 28th this month. The cost, $182,000.00 in medical bills, $14,000.00 for the motorcycle. 3 months off work recuperating, and countless hours of physical therapy. Intangible costs include lost productivity at work, the mental strain on the family and friends, and his son having to retake a college course because he was at his fathers bedside at the hospital, and missed an exam. ----------- May 9, 2005 18 year old Chad Wood a popular student and talented baseball and football star at Belleville East High School, in Belleville Illinois was looking forward to graduation in two weeks. While driving to school on a rain slick road in his 1998 Ford Mustang he went off the road into a deep ditch, hit a telephone pole, and died as a result of injuries. Witnesses following him stated they saw a deer run across the road in front of him. Several factors left his parents (Ray & Penny Wood) with a list of what ifs: What if he had worn his seat belt? The lack of external injuries, indicate there may have been a secondary collision of internal body organs. The air bag deployed but lack of restraint allowed him to be thrown around inside the car. What if he had traveled another 30 feet? He would have hit a guard rail that would have surely damaged the car, but he would have walked away? What if he had hit the deer instead of swerving? It is an unnatural reaction, but hitting the deer would have saved his life. This nightmare left his parents and older brother and sisters devastated. Unfortunately, around Mother’s day every year they are reminded of this horrible moment in their life.

No call is worth a life. Bailey, Merideth, Hannah, Sara and Katie Cady, 16 Erica, 9 Jean and Jay, 58 No call is worth a life. Jason, 38 Lauren, 17 Matt, 25 Frances, 13 Jordan, 18

What You Can Do Don’t talk on the phone or text while driving Enact a policy covering your employees Support legislation to enact bans on cell phone use while driving Implement life-saving technology for yourself, workplace, and families Educate people you care about ©National Safety Council 2010 28 28

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