Driver fatigue rather than speed is the single biggest cause of collisions on Britain’s motorways, according to a top police accident investigator.
Gary Baldwin, a forensic collision investigator for Thames Valley Police since 1988, says a lack of education is the main reason why fatigue is such a problem on Britain’s motorways.
“It may sound silly, but people just aren’t aware of how dangerous it is to drive with your eyes shut,” he said. “People think they will be all right, that if they wind down the windows or turn up the radio the tiredness will go away, but that just isn’t the case.”
His revelations follow the launch of a joint Autocar/AA campaign, which aims to improve the standard of driving on Britain’s roads and wants motorway driving included as part of the driving test.
Baldwin said driving while fatigued extends normal reaction times to the levels of an “anaesthetised slug”.
Speed isn’t necessarily a big cause of motorway collisions, according to Baldwin. “We all do roughly the same speeds on a motorway so it is rarely a cause of crashes,” he said. “Speed can be more of a factor off the motorway, but on it it’s not really an issue.”
The number of people killed on Britain’s major roads, including motorways, fell last year from 1590 to 1390, a drop of 13 per cent, according to figures from the Department for Transport.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Destracted Driver Prevention
[August 20, 2009] http://ip-pbx.tmcnet.com/news/2009/08/20/4333041.htm
ZoomSafer Compiles Research Data to Prevent Distracted Driving
RESTON, Va. --(Business Wire)-- ZoomSafer, the leading provider of safe driving solutions for mobile phones, and experts on distracted driving has compiled a comprehensive list of studies, facts and resources relating to the rapidly growing problem of motorists driving while distracted.
In continuing to lead the charge against distracted driving, this valuable reference resource was assembled by ZoomSafer founders Michael Riemer, Matt Howard, and Mike Costello to educate members of the public and to foster debate about safe driving solutions designed to help people focus on the road and drive less distracted.
Key Distracted Driving Facts (NHTSA) Almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near crashes in the United States are caused by distracted drivers with cell phone use directly contributing each year to: 6% of crashes 636,000 wrecks 330,000 injuries 12,000 serious injuries 2,600 deaths $43 billion economic impacts Cell Phone Driving Laws by State (US) Cell phone driving laws by state (GHSA) Interactive Maps of Cell Phone Driving Laws (IIHS) Teen / Parent Driving Resources www.noys.org www.underyourinfluence.org www.sadd.org www.keepthedrive.org www.t-driver.com Other Traffic Safety& Distracted Driving Related Organizations www.nsc.org Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) www.makeroadsafe.org Distracted Driving Studies & Surveys AAA 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index. July 2009.
87% rated texting or email a very serious threat, ranked almost even with drunk driving 80% rated distracted driving as a very serious threat to their safety 35% of drivers said they feel less safe than 5 years ago and the majority feel no safer at all New Data from VTTI Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction. July 2009 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Cell Phone or Other Related Tasks Risk of Crash or Near Crash event Light Vehicle/Cars Dialing Cell Phone 2.8 times as high as non-distracted driving Talking/Listening to Cell Phone 1.3 times as high as non-distracted driving Reaching for object 1.4 times as high as non-distracted driving (i.e. electronic device and other) Heavy Vehicles/Trucks Dialing Cell phone 5.9 times as high as non-distracted driving Talking/Listening to Cell Phone 1.0 times as high as non-distracted driving Use/Reach for electronic device 6.7 times as high as non-distracted driving Text messaging 23.2 times as high as non-distracted driving Texting Worse than Drunk Driving. June 2009. Car and Driver Magazine.
Driving 70 miles per hour on a deserted air strip Car and Driver editor Eddie Alterman was slower and slower reacting and braking when e-mailing and texting. The results: Unimpaired: .54 seconds to brake Legally drunk: add 4 feet Reading e-mail: add 36 feet Sending a text: add 70 feet Mobile Etiquette. June 2009.Intel ( News - Alert)/Harris Interactive Poll.
Nine of 10 adults had a pet peeve with 72 percent of adults reporting that their top annoyance is when others text or type on their mobile devices while driving a car.
Teen Driving Survey. May 2009. Allstate Foundation & NOYS 83 percent of teenagers admit talking on a cell phone while driving.
68 percent of the 16 to 20-year old drivers surveyed said they text while driving, even though they think that talking and texting is as dangerous as driving on icy roads.
New Study Suggests Drivers More Distracted than They Realize. April 2009. NSC Journal of Safety Research.
The results showed that the more difficult activity reduced driving safety more than the easier one. They also showed that drivers did not recognize one activity as more difficult than the other and estimated no difference between the activities' affect on their driving abilities. According to the researchers, these results, combined with previous studies, suggest that drivers are not aware of their own performance loss due to distraction.
KU Researchers Outline America's Top Transportation Threats. January 2009. University of Kansas.
Cell phone users have been found to be 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than undistracted drivers. The risk is about the same as for drivers with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level.
Talking on a cell phone while driving reduces attention in younger adults so that they have an average increase in accident risk of between 200 percent and 700 percent.
More than a million drivers are using a cell phone during any given daylight moment, yet studies show that motorists who use a cell phone are 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than undistracted drivers Teens ignore cell phone bans. June 2008. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/UNC Highway Safety Research Center 80% of car accidents and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction.
Driving While Distracted Research - Nationwide Mutual Insurance Survey. April 2008.
81 percent admit to talking on a cell phone while driving, which translates to estimates of more than 200 million people using cell phones while driving.
A Decrease in Brain Activation Associated With Driving When Listening to Someone Speak. Carnegie Mellon University, Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging. December 2007.
The parietal activation associated with driving decreases significantly (by 37%) with sentence listening Harris Interactive (News - Alert) Poll on Distracted Driving. August 2007 Harris Poll determined that nine out of ten American adults believe that sending text messages while driving is distracting, dangerous and should be outlawed.
According to that same Harris Poll, 57 percent of those surveyed admitted to sending text messages while driving. In the age group of 18 to 34, that number rose to 72 percent.
About ZoomSafer Inc.
ZoomSafer is the safest way to use your mobile phone while driving. We provide innovative mobile software and services to prevent distracted driving for the 20 million smart phone users including prosumers, small business users, families and young drivers, enterprises, and government organizations. For more information, please visit us on the web www.zoomsafer.com.
Driver Safety Device
ZoomSafer Compiles Research Data to Prevent Distracted Driving
RESTON, Va. --(Business Wire)-- ZoomSafer, the leading provider of safe driving solutions for mobile phones, and experts on distracted driving has compiled a comprehensive list of studies, facts and resources relating to the rapidly growing problem of motorists driving while distracted.
In continuing to lead the charge against distracted driving, this valuable reference resource was assembled by ZoomSafer founders Michael Riemer, Matt Howard, and Mike Costello to educate members of the public and to foster debate about safe driving solutions designed to help people focus on the road and drive less distracted.
Key Distracted Driving Facts (NHTSA) Almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near crashes in the United States are caused by distracted drivers with cell phone use directly contributing each year to: 6% of crashes 636,000 wrecks 330,000 injuries 12,000 serious injuries 2,600 deaths $43 billion economic impacts Cell Phone Driving Laws by State (US) Cell phone driving laws by state (GHSA) Interactive Maps of Cell Phone Driving Laws (IIHS) Teen / Parent Driving Resources www.noys.org www.underyourinfluence.org www.sadd.org www.keepthedrive.org www.t-driver.com Other Traffic Safety& Distracted Driving Related Organizations www.nsc.org Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) www.makeroadsafe.org Distracted Driving Studies & Surveys AAA 2009 Traffic Safety Culture Index. July 2009.
87% rated texting or email a very serious threat, ranked almost even with drunk driving 80% rated distracted driving as a very serious threat to their safety 35% of drivers said they feel less safe than 5 years ago and the majority feel no safer at all New Data from VTTI Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction. July 2009 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.
Cell Phone or Other Related Tasks Risk of Crash or Near Crash event Light Vehicle/Cars Dialing Cell Phone 2.8 times as high as non-distracted driving Talking/Listening to Cell Phone 1.3 times as high as non-distracted driving Reaching for object 1.4 times as high as non-distracted driving (i.e. electronic device and other) Heavy Vehicles/Trucks Dialing Cell phone 5.9 times as high as non-distracted driving Talking/Listening to Cell Phone 1.0 times as high as non-distracted driving Use/Reach for electronic device 6.7 times as high as non-distracted driving Text messaging 23.2 times as high as non-distracted driving Texting Worse than Drunk Driving. June 2009. Car and Driver Magazine.
Driving 70 miles per hour on a deserted air strip Car and Driver editor Eddie Alterman was slower and slower reacting and braking when e-mailing and texting. The results: Unimpaired: .54 seconds to brake Legally drunk: add 4 feet Reading e-mail: add 36 feet Sending a text: add 70 feet Mobile Etiquette. June 2009.Intel ( News - Alert)/Harris Interactive Poll.
Nine of 10 adults had a pet peeve with 72 percent of adults reporting that their top annoyance is when others text or type on their mobile devices while driving a car.
Teen Driving Survey. May 2009. Allstate Foundation & NOYS 83 percent of teenagers admit talking on a cell phone while driving.
68 percent of the 16 to 20-year old drivers surveyed said they text while driving, even though they think that talking and texting is as dangerous as driving on icy roads.
New Study Suggests Drivers More Distracted than They Realize. April 2009. NSC Journal of Safety Research.
The results showed that the more difficult activity reduced driving safety more than the easier one. They also showed that drivers did not recognize one activity as more difficult than the other and estimated no difference between the activities' affect on their driving abilities. According to the researchers, these results, combined with previous studies, suggest that drivers are not aware of their own performance loss due to distraction.
KU Researchers Outline America's Top Transportation Threats. January 2009. University of Kansas.
Cell phone users have been found to be 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than undistracted drivers. The risk is about the same as for drivers with a 0.08 blood-alcohol level.
Talking on a cell phone while driving reduces attention in younger adults so that they have an average increase in accident risk of between 200 percent and 700 percent.
More than a million drivers are using a cell phone during any given daylight moment, yet studies show that motorists who use a cell phone are 5.36 times more likely to get in an accident than undistracted drivers Teens ignore cell phone bans. June 2008. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Insurance Institute for Highway Safety/UNC Highway Safety Research Center 80% of car accidents and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of driver distraction.
Driving While Distracted Research - Nationwide Mutual Insurance Survey. April 2008.
81 percent admit to talking on a cell phone while driving, which translates to estimates of more than 200 million people using cell phones while driving.
A Decrease in Brain Activation Associated With Driving When Listening to Someone Speak. Carnegie Mellon University, Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging. December 2007.
The parietal activation associated with driving decreases significantly (by 37%) with sentence listening Harris Interactive (News - Alert) Poll on Distracted Driving. August 2007 Harris Poll determined that nine out of ten American adults believe that sending text messages while driving is distracting, dangerous and should be outlawed.
According to that same Harris Poll, 57 percent of those surveyed admitted to sending text messages while driving. In the age group of 18 to 34, that number rose to 72 percent.
About ZoomSafer Inc.
ZoomSafer is the safest way to use your mobile phone while driving. We provide innovative mobile software and services to prevent distracted driving for the 20 million smart phone users including prosumers, small business users, families and young drivers, enterprises, and government organizations. For more information, please visit us on the web www.zoomsafer.com.
Driver Safety Device
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