Distracted Driving: Types, Risks and Fleet Safety Tips

Distracted driving is deadly driving. For organizations managing fleets and drivers, understanding and preventing distracted driving is critical to transportation management and safety. In fact, there have been over 30,000 fatal crashes in the U.S. involving distracted drivers over the past decade alone.

In this blog post, we'll explore the dangers of distracted driving, the types of distractions to avoid, and resources to help you and your organization drive safely.

Behind the wheel, you must focus on a single task: driving safely. Texting, messaging, adjusting the radio, setting your navigation, taking selfies, applying makeup, eating, and drinking all divert your attention. That makes you a distracted driver.

If you are driving at 55mph, in the time it takes to send or read a brief text – about four seconds – your vehicle has traveled the length of a football field. Even a two-second glance off the road can double the risk of a crash or close call. Teen drivers whose parents drive distracted are two to four times as likely to drive distracted themselves.

Types of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving falls into four main categories:

• Visual distractions - These cause you to take your eyes off the road, such as turning to talk with a child in the back seat or a passenger sitting next to you.
• Auditory distractions - These sounds cause a shift in your attention, like talking with passengers or listening to music.
• Manual distractions - Eating, drinking, adjusting the radio or Bluetooth setting, etc., take one or both hands off the steering wheel.
• Cognitive distractions - These include mental preoccupations, strong emotional reactions, or when you’re too tired to pay attention. Your mind wanders, and you are not focused on driving.

Texting and messaging are the most dangerous form of distracted driving because they combine cognitive, visual, and manual distractions.

National Roadway Safety Strategy

Years ago, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) announced the formation of a National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS) to address the crisis in roadway accidents resulting in a fatality or severe injury.

Although roadway fatalities had been declining for several years, recently they have begun to climb again. About 10% of all roadway fatalities and serious injuries involve distracted driving in any given year—a statistic that directly threatens America's truck drivers, who log millions of miles on these same roads.

EndDD.Org

End Distracted Driving (EndDD.org) provides science-based presentations and speakers on the dangers of distracted driving for schools, community organizations, and businesses. EndDD.org was organized as a foundation in memory of Casey Feldman, a 21-year-old killed while walking in a crosswalk by a distracted driver who said he never saw her.

EndDD.org offers several helpful resources for companies focused on corporate responsibility and families:

• Company Cell Phone Policy - Download and post an employer policy template after inserting your company name and logo.
• Family Safe Driving Agreement - Download, print, and sign with family members to hold each other accountable for safe driving habits.

Drive Safely and Responsibly

Distracted driving on U.S. roads has reached epidemic levels, compounding the pressures of an ongoing truck driver shortage and putting every road user at greater risk. Drivers aged 16 to 24 have the highest rates of distraction by devices, but other age groups aren’t far behind, and we’re all at risk of the consequences. For a safe ride every time, the NHTSA urges drivers and passengers to follow these safety tips:

• Need to send or respond to a text? It is never safe to send or read a text while driving. Pull off the road to a safe location (or onto the shoulder).
• Designate a passenger to be your “designated texter” while driving. Let them access your phone to send or respond to calls and messages.
• Do not scroll through social media or any other app while driving. We all know how habit-forming cell phones can be. If you can’t resist yours while driving, put it somewhere that it can’t be seen or heard – like the glove box or trunk – until reaching your destination.
• Passengers, if you see your driver texting, looking at their phone apps, or otherwise distracted, ask them to put the phone down and focus on their driving.
• Everyone, ask friends to join you in not driving while distracted.

It only takes a few seconds of distraction to cause (or fail to avoid) an accident, and the person who doesn’t survive could well be you or someone you love.

Final Thoughts

Distracted driving remains one of the most preventable causes of roadway fatalities. By staying focused and following safe driving practices, you can protect yourself and others on the road. Contact Redwood Logistics to learn how our solutions can help your organization promote driver safety and compliance.