Impaired and Distracted Driving by South Dakota Youth Lee Axdahl Accident Records Supervisor South D

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Impaired and Distracted Driving by South Dakota
YouthLee AxdahlAccident Records
SupervisorSouth Dakota Office of Highway Safety
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• Vehicles have many safety features
• Seatbelt and shoulder straps
• Air-bags
• Padded dashboards
• Safety glass
• Anti-locking brakes and
• Collapsible steering columns but

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• Recent years have seen new driving challenges
• Increased traffic congestion on our roads
• Many new technologies are now available for use
  in automobiles
  
• One technology particularly surrounded by debate
  is the cell phone (and MP3 players)

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Generally Accepted Distracted Driving Realities

• Multitasking results in multiple tasks competing
  for a drivers attentional resources and
  
• Multitasking while driving results in less
  efficient visual search slower reaction times
  and fewer and shorter eye fixations.
  
• George Mason University Study

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In Other Words
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Add this to the list and trouble is bound to be
around the corner.
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Is That The Only Problem

• Another factor is the inability of most young
  drivers to adequately assess and respond to risk.
  Why
  
• The frontal brain lobe is responsible for
  cognitive functions that control life-saving
  behavior such as hazard anticipation and risk
  management. And
• Brain imaging studies show this lobe does not
  fully develop until drivers are 25.

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Or as Homer Simpson would say Doh!
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A South Dakota Example

• CRASH REPORT NARRATION
• the driver lost control of the vehicle entered
  the east ditch crossed the fence line and then
  rolled multiple times. The driver who was
  deceased at the scene was located outside the
  vehicle. The crash is believed to have occurred
  numerous hours before discovery.
• The driver was last seen at approximately 1030
  PM the night before.
  
• 609124 16 Year Old Male

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Fact

• Inexperience behind the wheel is the leading
  cause of teenage crashes
  
• NHTSA

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South Dakota Example 2

• CRASH REPORT NARRATION
• the right rear tire blew out and the driver lost
  control. Vehicle began tosideways
  crossing the oncoming lane of traffic and
  entering the north ditch rolling two times.
• Back seat passenger was ejected out the back
  window sustaining fatal injuries
  
• 613662 18 Year Old Male

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Fact

• Approximately two thirds of teens killed in
  automobile crashes are not wearing seatbelts.
  
• NHTSA

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South Dakota Example 3

• CRASH REPORT NARRATION
• Vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed
  attempting to jump the vehicle on a drainage dip
  in the roadway. Vehicle hit the dip and became
  airborne. The driver lost control and swerved to
  miss a vehicle at the stop sign.
• vehicle struck a tree and came to rest on its
  roofdriver was partially ejected and died at the
  scene
  
• 614245 - 16 Year Old Male

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Fact

• 16 Year Olds have higher crash rates than drivers
  of any other age.
  
• NHTSA

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South Dakota Example 4

• CRASH REPORT NARRATION
• Vehicle traveling in excess of posted speed limit
  and over steered the curve causing vehicle to
  skid and then roll three times along the drainage
  ditchvehicle then struck the bottom of the
  drainage ditch
• driver was ejected from the vehicle and found
  approximately 80 feet from the roadway
  
• 701708 19 Year Old Male

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Fact

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of
  death for teenagers.
  
• NHTSA

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South Dakota Example 5

• CRASH REPORT NARRATION
• driver drifted off the road into the west ditch
  for an unknown reason. As unit entered the ditch
  it collided with a delineator post. After the
  collision with the post the driver of the
  vehicle attempted to bring the unit back onto the
  roadway and overcorrected causing her to lose
  control and roll three times ejecting both
  occupants
• 709398 16 Year Old Female Killed
• 17 Year Old Male Killed

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Fact

• Statistics conclude that 16 17 year old driver
  death rates increase with each additional
  passenger.
  
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

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South Dakota TeenagersSafety Equipment Usage By
Drivers Killed Or Injured In Motor Vehicle Crashes
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South Dakota TeenagersIs The No Drinking
Driving LessonBeing Learned
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South Dakota TeenagersNot badthe last three
years are below the 13 year fatality average!
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South Dakota TeenagersBut its still them
versus us and the picture isnt encouraging!
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South Dakota TeenagersAnd the year to year
averages are notin drastic flux lessons being
learned
31.3
15.0
8.7
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You Think Thats Bad

• Dont even ask about teenagers on motorcycles!

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South Dakota TeenagersPercent Motorcycle
Licenses versus Percent Fatal Injury
Motorcycle Crashes
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South Dakota TeenagersDoing their best to stay
average!
12.3
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Recarte Nunes Research

• Published in March 2000 by the American
  Psychological Association
  
• Recorded the eye movements of drivers while they
  performed verbal and spatial-visual tasks
  
• Also measured how often each driver checked his
  or her side and rear mirrors and the speedometer

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Findings

• During visual-verbal tasks unrelated to driving
  the driver fixated on certain points longer and
  glanced less frequently at his/her mirrors and
  dashboard instruments
• During visual-verbal tasks the drivers eye
  freezes up and the visual inspection window
  decreases affecting peripheral vision and
  perception of the environment

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Findings

• When cognitively complex tasks are performed
  while driving the visual inspection window
  decreases between 25-40 horizontally and 40-60
  vertically.
• Technical term for the phenomena
• TUNNEL VISION

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Findings

• Therefore the study finds that the potential of
  using a cell phone is one thing (visual task)add
  an in-depth conversation requiring considerable
  mental effort (verbal task) and an already risky
  behavior is compounded

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2002 George Mason University Distracted Driving
Study

• Examine the nature and scope of the distracted
  driving issue
  
• To identify and develop strategies that might
  help minimize distracted driving

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George Mason University Study

• RESEARCH FINDINGS
• The extent of the distracted driving problem
  is not clearly defined validated or
  determined and terminology is inconsistent
  
• It is not clear how specific behaviors affect
  driving capacities differently in magnitude
  or effect
  

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South Dakota Teen DriverContributing Factors To
Crashes
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South Dakota Teen DriverContributing Factors To
Crashes
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South Dakota Teen DriverContributing Factors To
Crashes
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South Dakota Tasks

• Define distracted driving for consistency
• As it applies to all drivers
• As it applies to SDCL
• As it applies to enforcement
• Categorize distracted driving incidents to
  validate extent of problem
  
• Cell Phone related
• MP3 etc related
• Traffic related

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South Dakota Tasks

• Determine methods to educate drivers
• Remedial education for existing drivers
• Inclusion in Drivers Education program
• Major media reinforcement
• Legislative or Policy
• Proposed legislation should be supported by
  current research
  
• The fact that Distracted Driving is not an
  offense inhibits the ability for enforcement to
  cite

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End