1. TEXTING & DRIVING DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT. ARRIVE ALIVE

2. Can this text wait? Nationally, in 2009, 16% of fatal crashes, 20% of injury crashes, 16% of all other crashes were attributable to distraction. This was 647,000 property damage crashes 307,000 injury crashes (448,000) 4,898 fatal crashes (5,474 fatalities) 959,000 total crashes FARS, NHTSA

3. Can this text wait? 20% of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes in the information on the previous slide were distracted by a Cell Phone. Cell phone users are 4 times as likely to crash as non-users. 11% of drivers at any point during the day are on cell phones

4. Did you Know? When drivers are texting, their risk of getting into a car crash is 23 times greater than when not texting... far surpassing the dangers of other driving distractions.

5. Texting while Driving – The Greatest Distraction What Is Distracted Driving? Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and so increases the risk of crashing.

6. Texting while Driving – The Greatest Distraction There are three main types of distraction: Visual — taking your eyes off the road Manual — taking your hands off the wheel Cognitive — taking your mind off what you’re doing

7. Texting while Driving – The Greatest Distraction While all distractions can endanger drivers’ safety, texting is the most alarming because it involves all three types of distraction.

8. How is TWD affecting your abilities? Visual impairment is caused by continually looking back and forth from the phone display and the road ahead or not looking back to the road for long periods.

9. How is TWD affecting your abilities? In crashes or near-crashes, texting takes a driver's focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds – enough time, to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph. Talking on a cell phone while driving causes impairment just like driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent.

10. Negative effects of TWD Less able to keep a constant distance behind lead vehicle. Large increases in variability of lane position. Many more lane departures. In actual traffic, these driving errors dramatically increase the likelihood of collision.

11. Is it safe to use hands-free (headset, speakerphone) cell phones while driving? The available research indicates that cell phone use while driving, whether it is a hands- free or hand-held device, degrades a driver’s performance. The driver is more likely to miss key visual and audio cues needed to avoid a crash. Hand-held devices may be slightly worse, but hands-free devices are not risk-free.

12. Consider… Talking and texting while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70 year old. Texting behind the wheel is said to be more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol or marijuana.

13. Texting while Driving can be punishable by Law If you cause an accident while texting and driving which involves injuries or death, you may face criminal charges and jail time. If you drive for a living, you may lose your job and even if you don't drive for a living you may still lose your job, particularly if you are arrested and charged with an offense.

14. Young Drivers Are Especially At Risk Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction- related fatal crashes. Their lack of driving experience can contribute to critical misjudgments if they become distracted. Not surprisingly, they text more than any other age group and the numbers of young drivers who text is only increasing.

15. Texas Law Prohibits the use of cell phones including texting in school zones where the prohibition is posted by signs. Exceptions include hands free devices, if the vehicle is stopped, or in case of emergency. Prohibits the use of cell phones by drivers under the age of 18 at any time, except in case of emergency and certain conditions of employment.

16. What can you do? When driving, wait until you reach your destination to read or send text messages. By accepting personal responsibility and individually choosing NOT to text while driving, we are helping build a better community for everyone.

17. Any Questions?

18. References NHTSA http://www.nhtsa.gov Safe a Life – TxDot http://www.txdot.gov http://www.txtresponsibly.org For more information contact the Safe Communities Project at 361-825-2551 or safecommunities@tamucc.edu

20. Texas Department of Transportation NUECES COUNTY

21. ANY Police officer, (State, County, or City) who has reason to believe that a motor vehicle has been operated in violation of traffic laws has the authority to stop the vehicle and inspect it.

22.  Speeding  Texting/ Cell phone use  No Seatbelt  Unrestrained Child/passengers  Hazardous Driving  Improper Lane Changes  Driving too Slow  Not using signals

23.  Lights not working  Window Tinting too dark  Expired Stickers  Plates are not visible  Littering  Swerving  Following too closely  Any other suspected traffic law infraction

24. Start your trip off appropriately and allow enough time to complete your trip Frequently check your vehicle's proper function of safety equipment & lights. Keep registration & safety inspections current. Make sure to obey all posted speed limits and traffic laws to avoid being pulled over.

26.  Calmly pull over to a safe, well-lit area where you will not disrupt the flow of traffic  Roll down your window all the way!  Place both hands on the steering wheel unless instructed otherwise

27.  Retrieve any information requested by the officer, i.e. license, registration, insurance card,  Be polite, cooperative, and reasonable

29.  Panic  Get out of your car unless asked  Make evasive movements  Be rude Many Officers are Injured in Traffic Stops. Sudden Moves may be seen as a threat.

30.  Name drop other officers  Offer gifts  Be contradicting  Dispute the citation On the street is not the time or place to argue about the citation. Leave that for the courtroom.

31. Refer to the officer as “officer” or “sir” when addressing him/her. Even if the officer raises his/her voice, the officer is just trying to do the job and keep the highways safe for everyone. Upsetting an officer will just make the situation more difficult for the both of you.

32. Videotaping: Many patrol vehicles and even police officers are now equipped with video equipment. Both audio and video may be recorded.

33. Concealed Handgun Permits:  Individuals can carry concealed handguns within Texas with a permit.  Persons with a permit should provide it to the law enforcement officer with their driver’s license during a traffic stop.

34. Do not attempt to dispute the Citation with the officer at the scene. The appropriate place to dispute a citation is in court Be sure to note the specified date by which the ticket or report must be handled.

36. Thank you for your time and attention throughout this presentation. If you have any further questions, please visit the FMCSA website at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov or Texas Department of Public Safety http://www.txdps.state.tx.us or Local Law Enforcement like the CCPD http://www.cctexas.com/police/

37. Picture Credits: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- 2240194/Revealed-The-secrets-ticket-youre- stopped-police.html http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/survey -texting-while-driving-adults-worse-than- teenagers/ http://www.spreenhonda.com/blog/tips-to- avoid-getting-pulled-over/ http://safedriving.wordpress.com/2010/07/0 9/littering-is-a-nasty-driving-habit/ http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Police/infor mation_resources/Stop_on_Red_Tampa/violat ion_notice.asp http://www.natcom.org/CommCurrentsArticl e.aspx?id=3161 Information: http://www.edmunds.com/driving- tips/top-5-ways-to-get-pulled-over- by-the-cops.html http://www.dmv.org/articles/traffic- stop-dos-and-donts/ http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?id =9223376