Texas State Wide Injury Prevention Initiative

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 What is
distracted driving?

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 Distracted Driving

Driving while engaged in any

activity that could divert a
persons attention away from
the primary task of driving

Source: Distraction.gov/NHTSA
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3 Types of Distraction

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Brain Overload

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Those that text while driving
are 23 times more likely
to be in a crash

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (www.vtti.vt.edu/)

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When drivers read or send
a text message, their
reaction time is doubled.

When asked to respond to

a flashing light while
texting behind the wheel,
drivers were more than 11
times more likely to miss
the light altogether.

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 How long does texting
take your eyes off the road?

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Texting and driving takes your eyes
off the road for an average of 5
seconds at a time.

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At 55 mph, that equals taking
your eyes off the road for
a distance of 300 feet

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Do Hands-Free Devices
Reduce the Risk?

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 Teen Driver Survey Findings:
97% of teens say texting while driving is
dangerous, but 43% admit to doing so
Almost all teens (9 in 10) expect a reply to a
text or email within 5 minutes or less, which
puts pressure on them to respond while
driving
According to 77% of teens, adults tell kids not
to text or email while driving yet adults do it
themselves all the time.

Source: ATT It Can Wait Campaign

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You have Power!

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 You have power!
Acknowledge the behavior
Without being confrontational, let the
driver know your concerns
Suggest that the driver pull over to a
safe location to check texts or listen to
voice mails
As a passenger, offer to share
responsibility so that the driver does
not drive distracted
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Speak up for your safety

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There are two sides to
distracted driving

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=

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 Teen Driver Survey

Teens uniformly know that texting

while driving is dangerous (97% say it is dangerous,
including 75% who say it is
very dangerous), however only 70% of
Teens say that texting while stopped at a
red light is dangerous, with only 33%
saying it is very dangerous.

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 FACT
Car accidents are the number one cause of teen
deaths, killing more than 3,500 per year and
seriously injuring over 400,000 of teens

Texting and distracted driving is a factor in 8 out

of 10 accidents, and young drivers have the
highest distracted driving fatality rate of all
age groups

Over 50% of teens admit to texting while driving

because they do not believe it is dangerous
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 Did you know
Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 39
states and the District of Columbia
Novice drivers are banned from texting in 5
states (Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico,
Oklahoma and TEXAS)
School bus drivers are banned from text
messaging in 3 states (Mississippi, Oklahoma
and TEXAS)

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 Do you know Texas law?

Hand held ban Young drivers all Bus drivers all Texting ban Enforcement
cellphone ban cellphone ban

Drivers in school Drivers younger Bus drivers when a Bus drivers when a Primary
crossing zones than 18 passenger 17 and passenger 17 and
younger is present younger is present;
drivers in school
crossing zones;
drivers younger
than 18

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 Although we have
enforcement of cell
phone usage among
some driver
populations.

We need more to help

reduce the number of
injuries from this
deadly behavior

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Be the change that you wish to
see in the world.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

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