Michael D. Czechowskyj Ferris State University DISTRACTED DRIVING IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS

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Objectives Identify what distracted driving is and why is it a health concern. Develop an education plan and community framework to address the health risk. Focus this education on teens and young adults because they are the most vulnerable population. Identify tools that will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the education program.

Distracted Driving Facts Every day in the USA, 9 people are killed by distracted driving and 1,060 people are injured. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Most people think distracted driving is just texting but there are more distractions (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014). The most vulnerable population effected by distracted driving is the novice driver and drivers in their 20’s (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2014; Klauer, et al. 2013).

Whys is This a Health Concern This is a traumatic event that can effect a whole community. It is preventable. These drivers are brought to the ED for treatment and placed in our care. This is a new health concern that is new and growing with advancements in technology.

Why Teens and Young Adults They are novice drivers. They are immature and inexperienced. They are more likely to engage in distracted driving activities. They make up a large portion of the drivers on the road.

So What Can be Done Change the current laws to try and curb behavior. Develop a national education campaign. Develop a local education plan.

Community Education Plan Overview Evidence available that suggests that this type of intervention will be successful. What type of framework will be useful in implementation? How will it be implemented, what are the learners needs? What will be measured?

Evidence Behind the Plan One study looks at a hospital and school partnership in educating students on the danger of distracted driving. Reputation of nurses.

Type of Framework Used for Community Education The Logic Model is used as a framework to implement a community education plan around distracted driving. There are 6 steps. –Identify the problem. –Specify the needs of the community, what brought this to the communities attention. –What are the desired results. –What factors will influence this change. –Look for best practice to support an intervention. –Put it all together and start the program or intervention.

Logic Model Break Down Identify the problem. –The problem is an increase in distracted driving resulting in injury or death. What brought this to the attention of the community? –Death related to distracted driving. –Growing community with many teens and young adults going to high school and the local university in the same community.

Logic Model Break Down What are the desired results? –Short term goals. –Long term goals. What factors will influence this change? –What are the barriers. –What are the positive factors.

Logic Model Break Down Look for best practice to support an intervention. –Educate Americans. –Use a proven program. Put it all together and start the program or intervention.

Population Learning Needs There was one major learning assessment that was important to identify in this population before an education program could be rolled out. It was weather the targeted audience had ADHD or not. It was important to use this data to tailor the program to the needs of this population.

Evaluating the Program The main purpose of this program was to decrease the number of deaths and injuries caused by distracted driving. Some of the metrics that are planned to change are: –Reduced deaths related to distracted driving. –Reduced injuries related to distracted driving. –Increased awareness of what distracted driving is and how it can be prevented.

Conclusion Distracted driving is a public health concern that effects hundreds of thousands of people each year. This health concern is preventable, but not easy to change. Using the approach of changing state laws, national campaigns, and local education offerings, this health concern can be decreased. Making sure a plan that is tailored to the needs of each individual community is important so the message is heard and incorporated into everyday life. With the help of everyone we can reduced deaths and injuries related to distracted driving.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014, January 28). National center for injury prevention and control: distracted driving [Web site]. Retrieved from Chase, C. (2014). U.S state and federal laws targeting distracted driving. Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine, 58, Ferguson, A. A. (2014). Distracted driving: what is the state of the science, and what are our knowledge gaps. Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine, 58, 1-4. Gallup, (2014, June, 14). Honesty and ethics in professions [Web site]. Retrieved from Klauer, S. G., Guo, G., Simons-Morton, B. G., Ouimet, M. C., Lee, S. E., & Dingus, T. A. (2013). Distracted driving and risk of road crashes among novice and experienced drivers. The New England Journal of Medicine, 370, dio: /NEJMsa Narad, M., Garner, A. A., Brassell, A. A., Saxby, D., Antonini, T. N., O’Brien, K. M.,…Epstein, J. N. (2013). Impact of distraction on the driving performance of adolescents with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Medical Association, 167(10), doi; /jamapediatrics National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2014, June, 12). Distracted driving facts and stats [Web site]. Retrieved from statistics.html Unni, P., Morrow, S. E., Schaltz, B. L., & Tian, T. T. (2013). Journal of Trauma Acute Care Surgery, 75(4 suppl 3), S285-S289. dio: /TA.0b012e31828f9aa4.