• Visual - eyes are off the road
• Cognitive - mind is off the road
• Manual - hands are off the wheel

Labels: defensive driving, distracted driving, SIPDE

Labels: cell phone, distracted driving, driver safety

• Encourages the remaining 11 states without distracted driving laws to enact and enforce this critical legislation.
• Challenges the auto industry to adopt new and future guidelines for technology to reduce the potential for distraction on devices built or brought into vehicles.
• Partners with driver education professionals to incorporate new curriculum materials to educate novice drivers of driver distraction and its consequences. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show drivers under the age of 25 are two to three times more likely than older drivers to send text messages or emails while driving.
• Provides all stakeholders with actions they can take that go beyond personal responsibility to helping end distracted driving nationwide.

Labels: click it or ticket, distracted driving

• 44% said they had sent a text message, and 62% said they had read a message while they were driving
• 1 in 6 male drivers under 25 have crashed due to cell phone usage at the wheel
• One third of under 25s who use Facebook on their phone admitted to using it while driving
• 18% of under 25s who have Draw Something on their phone have played the game while driving – 17% for Angry Birds
• Hands-free cell phones encourage 53% more young drivers to make longer calls at the wheel (longer than 5 minutes)

Labels: android apps, dangers of distracted driving, distracted driving, driving skills, iphone apps, texting and driving

Timothy Cody of Manasquan NJ was driving through a traffic circle one day when a woman driving an SUV while talking on a cell phone almost drove him off the road. As he was turning to get back on the road, he heard a public service announcement on the dangers of texting while driving. He thought "There's got to be some way to stop this" and the idea for a new app was born.

The result was the Drive Alive App. While there are quite a few apps available that shut off a driver's cell phone while the car is in motion, this is the first app that depends on the driver’s promise to refrain from using a cell phone while driving and provides tangible rewards to the driver for doing so. Here's how it works. Once a driver downloads the app, he or she turns on the app before beginning to drive. While driving, the app uses the phone's GPS to determine that the vehicle is in motion. At the same time, the app keeps track of any use of the cell phone, whether it is calling, texting, or using other apps. Once the trip is completed, the driver closes the app. The app then sends the data to Drive Alive's secure data base. If, during any portion of the trip, the phone is activated for any reason while the vehicle is in motion, that particular trip is cancelled and the user loses any credit for that trip.



If the driver refrained from using the phone while driving, he or she qualifies for rewards such as discounted meals, half price beauty salon treatments or gift cards. Most popular of all is a cash reward, delivered directly to the user's Paypal account. The driver can also track their progress against others on a leader board to see how many rewards they have earned. The app is currently available only for Android phones but an iPhone app is expected by late February or early March 2012.


To provide rewards for cell phone free driving, Mr. Cody had to contact businesses in his local area and get them to sign on. Most of the businesses that are currently participating are in New Jersey but Mr. Cody hopes that will soon change as more businesses nationwide get onboard. He is also seeking donor contributions and has opened a new webpage at Kickstarter.com to seek pledges to the cause. He hopes to enlist larger businesses such as insurance companies to provide a larger reward pool for drivers who refrain from using their cell phones. His project will only be funded through Kickstarter.com if he can raise $5,000 in contributions by March 16, 2012.

Business owners can promote their business, while at the same time help to save lives by preventing distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 5,474 people were killed on U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving in 2009. Distracted driving has become one of the biggest problems that lead to injuries and loss of life on US roads.

Businesses can sign on by visiting the Drive Alive App website at: http://www.drivealiveapp.com
Businesses, organizations, or individuals that want to pledge contributions can visit the Kickstarter.com website at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1265026628/drive-alive-an-incentive-based-safe-driving-smartp
There is also a Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/DriveAliveApp
And Twitter at: https://twitter.com/#!/DriveAliveApp

Labels: avoid distracted driving, banning texting, distracted driving, Drive Alive App, driving dangers, texting and driving

Focus Driven, a web site devoted to advocating for the victims of distracted drivers, recently announced the redesign of their website. With help from Allstate Insurance and other safety organizations, the new website dramatically points out the dangers of distracted driving by drivers who use cell phones or text while driving.

Focus Driven is devoted exclusively to advocating for the victims of distracted drivers by providing victims services and counseling. A goal of their website is to become the "primary national database of crash survivors, families of crash victims and other advocates" and in their words, "putting a human face to the science and statistics of distracted driving crashes."

As part of that effort, a heart wrenching feature of the website includes the individual stories of distracted driving victims and their families, including photos, bios, and the details of their death.

The organization recently held a Distracted Driving Summit in Illinois which featured US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, among others. Secretary LaHood said that distracted driving is responsible for at least 5,500 deaths and more than 450,000 injuries in the US. Focus Driven and the other sponsors are calling for legislation to ban the use of mobile communication devices while driving. According to Secretary LaHood, currently 30 states have banned texting while driving but only 8 have banned the use of hand-held cell phone use by drivers.

Focus Driven is unique in that its governing documents require that the governing board be made up exclusively of victims of distracted driving either directly or by the loss of a close relative.

For more information, visit the Focus Driven website at: http://www.focusdriven.org/

Labels: avoid distracted driving, cell phone, distracted driving, focused driven

How can teenagers get a potentially lifesaving message out to their friends and make some extra cash? One great way is to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) on the importance of safe driving.

Thanks to an initiative started by Tracy Porter, Founder and Executive Director of Mothers Against Brain Injury, Inc. (MABII) and a partnership between the Allstate Foundation, teens from high schools in four counties in Northeast Florida have the opportunity to enter a contest to create a short video promoting the importance of safe driving and win a grand prize of $4,000 for the student creators and $4000 for their school in TV production equipment and computers. Not only that, the winning PSA will be shown on TV throughout the month of May. There are also runner-up prizes of $2000 and $1000 for the student creators and for their school in TV production equipment and computers. The prize money has been made available through a grant from the Allstate Foundation making this its fourth consecutive year of doing so. The deadline to enter is 9pm on April 19, 2011.


So which driving subject should you focus on? You can choose any one, a combination of a couple or all of these critical issues related to driving: speeding, seatbelts, teen passengers, cell phone talking /texting, or any other distractions. The message should be 20 seconds; short, simple to understand, directed to other teens, and thought provoking. This contest encourages teens to research the facts on teen driving safety, observe how teens drive and be decide what would be the best and most creative way to ignite a change of unsafe driving practices.

When it comes to judging, a panel of teens will assess which of the PSA's would most likely make them seriously consider changing their own driving habits when they drive or when they ride with another teen.

What makes this project so great is that it's about friends telling friends the facts with their own voice, in their own environment and in their own way. Unsafe driving and distractions do not have to be the norm. So many teens see themselves as great drivers, but their friends don't always agree. Tracy Porter, Founder of MABII says, "In the last four years of hosting this PSA contest, I have learned something surprising from teenagers; they are less fearful of death as a consequence of unsafe driving practices than they are of being hurt, noticeably scarred, changed physically, being responsible for hurting a friend, or family member. This is information that should be used to help educate and empower teens to create a message targeting their own demographic."

By changing the culture of what is acceptable among teen friends, lives can be saved and many tragedies avoided. All it takes are people to speak up and their voices to be heard. Driving safety is everyone’s business.

Learn more about the Allstate Foundation's Teen Safe Driver Grant.

To learn more about Mothers Against Brain Injury Inc., visit www.mabii.org

Labels: distracted driving, mabii, mothers against brain injury, psa contest, teen driver, teen driver safety

Every New Year presents everyone with the opportunity to start anew. Were you one of those who secretly texted while driving in 2010? Do you feel like the perfect way to change that is this time of year?

AT&T started a campaign to combat texting while driving way back in March of 2010, and the 10-minute documentary that they produced in the last week of 2010 really makes everyone just stop and think (AT&T Txting & Driving Campaign). Is one last text worth it?

Here are a few steps anyone could follow in order to make sure that resolution makes a lasting change --- and sticks. It might also help encourage others into doing the same.

State a clear intention/goal for the year – It could be a simple phrase or a simple statement like "I’ll keep the phone in the glove box before even starting the car and pull it out when the engine is completely stopped," or "no texting while driving." Write it down in a note then put it up on the fridge. Or simply repeat the statement when you're in the driver's seat. This helps anchor that idea into how you perform your day-to-day routines.

Consider the next actions you take with this goal – Okay, now that you have a phrase you could repeat, actually DO the action every time. Feel it out for the next few weeks --- are you noticing more and more things that are actually happening on the road? What would be your next course of action? Now that you've eliminated one distraction from driving (the texting), why not find more ways you could remove several other distractions?

Take a look back – Just to keep track of your progress, are you still itching to check your phone during a red light? Were you successful when you fought that urge? Or maybe you have stopped wondering about your phone while driving --- are people who ride your now-safe vehicle taking notice? Looking back helps you realize how far you’ve gone --- and may also point out areas of improvement, like putting the phone on silent, to lessen the urge of checking it, perhaps. This could be a monthly check if you’re reciting your intention every time you start the vehicle, or maybe you’ll notice that you can’t start the vehicle without making sure the phone belongs to where it is safe --- far from you, while driving.

Reach out to like-minded revolutionists – It can be a conversation among friends, or start the resolution with people in your family --- to help you enforce the rule and keep track of each other's progress. Ask them to point out when you look like you're tempted to check when they are riding with you. Help each other.

Be realistic and be kind – Most New Year's resolutions fail because people look back and wonder why nothing's changed when they have exerted nothing to get to that realistic goal. Be kind to yourself, when it comes to a resolution about texting while driving, the time could be the first week of January, or the third week of July --- it is never too late to start this resolution.

To help with this New Year's Resolution learn more about the measures taken to stop distracted driving and the distracted driving campaigns.

Labels: avoid distracted driving, banning texting, distracted driving, driving distractions, texting, texting and driving

Thanks to public education by anti-drunk driving campaigns, the percentage of drunk drivers on our nation’s highways has been dramatically reduced. However, a new, and just as dangerous, problem is emerging regarding drugged drivers. The problem is more extensive than one might realize because drivers are drug impaired not only on illegal drugs such as marijuana and cocaine but on prescription and common over-the-counter medications. The problem exists because many do not realize that their legally prescribed or over-the-counter medications can have a serious impact on their driving abilities.

In 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) sponsored a study to gauge the amount of alcohol and drug use on US roads. In this survey, drivers were stopped at random and asked to voluntarily provide oral fluid and blood samples. The researchers were looking for the percentage of drivers who were driving with drugs that could negatively affect their driving abilities including:

• alcohol level above the legal limitv


• any amount of alcohol in their system


• illegal drugs (controlled substances or illegally obtained prescription medications)


• medications (both prescribed and over-the-counter)

The survey’s results show that:

• 11% of daytime drivers were driving with some sort of drug in their system


• 14.4% of night-time drivers were driving with some sort of drug in their system.

The survey also showed that, among those who showed evidence of illegal drugs in their system, there was also a higher incidence of alcohol use combined with those drugs.

Legal Medications:

Four percent of drivers showed evidence of legal medications; both prescribed and over-the-counter. While low, that percentage shows that many drivers still don’t realize the effect that medications can have on their driving. Nor do they realize that they could possibly be arrested for DUI when driving under the influence of those medications alone.

Among those who tested positive for legal medications, 6.4% also tested positive for alcohol. That leads to additional problems because of the phenomenon known as “synergism” in which the effect of the alcohol can compound the drug’s effect or vice versa. For instance, something seemingly as harmless as taking aspirin, can, because of aspirin’s effect on the blood stream, allow the alcohol and its effects to reach the brain sooner.

Prescription medications:

A prescription drug's side effects can, in some cases, severely affect a driver’s abilities to safely operate a motor vehicle. Some commonly prescribed medications and their effects are:

Anti-depressants (Prozac, Zoloft)– These drugs regulate mood but can also affect sleep and mental clarity. Common side effects can include;


• Anxiety, restlessness, dizziness, tremors, sleepiness, and fatigue

Sedatives or Sleep Aids (Ambien) – Sleep aids are prescribed to combat insomnia or lack of sleep. Common side effects can include;


• Sleep-related behaviors, memory lapses, and hallucinations including “sleep-driving”, driving while not fully awake with no memory of the event.

Stop Smoking Aids (Chantix) – Stop smoking aids are designed to help smokers break the addiction of nicotine. Common side effects can include;


• Neuropsychiatric symptoms including changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicide-related events. There have been some reports of violent behavior directed towards others.

Over-the-counter medications:

Antihistamines (Benadryl, Sudafed) – These medications are commonly taken to reduce the symptoms of colds or hay fever. Anti-histamines are divided into two groups:


• Generation 1 - with diphenhydramine as the active ingredient


• Generation 2 (non-drowsy) – with fexofenadine as the active ingredient
  Two different studies looking at the effects of these medications on drivers, compared with the effects of alcohol, found that those taking the “generation 1” antihistamines (Benadryl) performed worse than drivers who were legally drunk.
  Common side effects can include;


• Dizziness, drowsiness, excitability, headache, nervousness, and restlessness.

Cough Medicine (Robitusin) – These medications are taken to reduce coughing can, in large amounts, have a negative effect; in fact, over the past several years, they have been used as a cheap and legal way to get high. Common side effects can include;


• severe dizziness, anxiety, restless feeling, or nervousness, confusion, and hallucinations

Any medication that includes warnings such as “May cause drowsiness” or “Do not operate machinery while taking this medication” should not be taken if you plan to drive. Consult with your doctor or pharmacist about any medication’s side effects and wait until you know how the drug is going to affect you before driving. Taking these drugs and driving could lead to a DUI or worse; injuring or killing someone in a drug impaired collision.

Labels: alert drivers, buzzed driving, distracted driving, over-the-counter medications, prescription medication

Over the past few years distracted driving has come to the forefront of traffic safety discussions. Mostly everyone agrees that distracted driving is a leading cause of accidents and fatalities on roadways across the US. However, identifying the problem has not been the main objection for proposed distracted driving legislation.

For example, Georgia’s Governor, Sunny Perdue, threatened to veto text messaging and cell phone bills that has been passed by Georgia Legislature. Governor Perdue cited enforcement issues led him to consider the veto. In response to his threats safety advocates, law makers and students lobbied endlessly urging him to sign the bill. Finally, he signed the bill SB 360 which outlaws text messaging and related activities on a cell phone while driving.

Under Georgia’s new distracted driving laws text messaging will be banned for all drivers. Cell phone usage (both handheld and hands-free) is prohibited for all drivers under the age of 18. A $150 fine will be issued to those in violation of the new laws. These laws will go into effect on July 1, 2010.

Vermont and Kansas have also recently passed new distracted driving laws. Effective immediately in Vermont, drivers under 18 are banned from text messaging and using their cell phones while driving. Drivers caught violating the rule will be faced with fines ranging from $100-$250. For first time offenders the fine will be $100 and repeat offenders will face escalated fines up to $250.

Until January 1, 2011 drivers in Kansas will be issued a warning if they are caught text messaging while driving. Kansas’ Governor Mark Parkinson recently signed a bill that will be make it illegal to text message while driving for all drivers in Kansas regardless of age. The ban will go into effect January 1, 2011.

Previously, text messaging while driving, handheld cell phone use by adults and all cell phone usage by teenagers while driving had been outlawed in Connecticut. However, Connecticut recently made some adjusts to their current distracted driving programs. Governor Jodie Rell signed a plan that would make the previous laws stricter. In an effort to crack down on distracted drivers the new law does not include the previous law’s policy of forgiveness for some first offenders.

Now, first time offenders face a fine of $100. Repeat offenders face a fine of $150 and third time offenders face a fine of $200. Hand help cell phone use by adults is still outlawed. Cell phone use of any kind is still outlawed for teenagers as well.

Read more about the measures taken to stop distracted driving including distracted driving groups such as Oprah's No Phone Zone and phone/text blocker apps.

Labels: avoid distracted driving, distracted driving, distracted driving laws, texting, texting and driving

SNAP! That was your patience breaking under the pressure of having to juggle children or pets whilst driving, we've all been there before, bored children and restless pets can be really tricky to handle, but if you don't handle them properly, you could be putting yourself at risk of dangerous accidents hurting your, your pets, or even your children.

Let's face it, children can be very stressful sometimes, whether they are hungry or just bored, it can mean the difference between a nice day out and a day out to forget. Recent studies have shown that over ¾ of car collisions are caused by distracted drivers, and the majority of incidents occur within 3 seconds of the initial distraction. With such frightening statistics, it's obvious why more and more people are trying to find ways to keep their children and pets at bay while driving.

The best way to deal with children when traveling is to make sure they are occupied. Stretching around every five minutes is not only inconvenient, but very dangerous. The best approach to take is an organizational one. Pre-planning can often be a very clever tactic, think about where you're going, how long the journey will take, and the time you'll be leaving. These 3 factors are very important when it comes to pre-planning, as they could be the difference between a successful trip and a disastrous one.

When travelling for long periods of time, you might want to make sure that children have things to do that are appropriate for their age groups. Younger children might be perfectly contented with a coloring book, but older children may not. Try putting together a travel play pack for younger children. This can include coloring books, their favorite toys or stuffed animals, anything that you know will keep them occupied for the whole journey.

If you're stuck for ideas, there are some brilliant travel-sized games on the market, such as popular board games shrunk and made appropriate for car travel for children to play against each other, or personal games, electronic or otherwise. You could even put together a little music compilation to play in the car filled with child friendly songs; they will be far too busy singing along. For older children, MP3 Players, hand held electronics or books can keep them busy for as long as you need them to, however older children are usually a lot easier to deal with in the car.

Labels: avoid distracted driving, distracted driving, driving dangers, driving distractions, vehicle accidents

Drivers can receive careless driving tickets for a number of reasons. One such offense is reading while driving, which is more common than many people think. Though difficult to prove unless a law enforcement officer observes it, this behavior is a dangerous distraction that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports increases drivers' chances of being involved in motor vehicle crashes by three times.

One reason that people read while driving is text messaging, which has received considerable media attention recently. Though the act of sending a text probably receives more coverage, the act of reading received texts is just as distracting. Drivers who read a text message not only physically take their eyes off the road, they take their cognitive attention off driving to process the message and perhaps formulate a response to it before beginning to type. Drivers who read text messages are just as subject to emotional reactions of surprise, happiness, or anger as those who talk on cell phones, which can mentally distract the driver for several minutes or even for the rest of the driving journey.

Reading maps and directions is also distracting for drivers, and the act of doing so is often accompanied by the process of looking for an address, the stress of being lost, and/or the confusion of driving in an unfamiliar area. If the driver is on vacation or a business trip, she or he may even be driving an unfamiliar vehicle. Again, the physical act of reading combined with mental and emotional distress creates a dangerous driving distraction. Drivers who need to consult a map or directions should pull over in a safe place; this will also give them time to orient themselves to their surroundings before continuing the trip. Having a passenger who can act as a navigator is also helpful.

Commuters to work or school often face long driving trips with heavy traffic. At times they may not be able to move at all. These drivers are often tempted to distract themselves from the wait by reading books and newspapers. Unfortunately, some of these drivers continue to read once traffic is moving again. The risks of doing this in heavy stop-and-go traffic are obvious. Books can be purchased on CD and podcasts can be downloaded from a variety of websites, and if the subject matter is too distracting, the driver can turn it off and concentrate on driving.

A defensive driving course may be required to satisfy a careless driving ticket; the course will also help drivers who have become complacent to reeducate themselves about the importance of remaining fully alert while driving.

Labels: careless driving, careless driving ticket, distracted driving, reading while driving

Everyone looks forward to getting off and going home after a hard day's work, but you may be headed into the most treacherous part of your day, the afternoon commute. More than the volume of traffic or weather conditions, it is driver behavior that makes the commute so dangerous. In order to make your commute as safe as possible, it may be beneficial to look at your driving behavior and what influences it.

Attitude – Your emotions, whether you are in a good mood or a foul one, play a large part in determining how you will respond to the driving environment. If you have a heavy after-work schedule (getting the kids to sports practice, shopping for and preparing dinner, etc.), the frustrations of slow traffic can put you into a bad mood. Drivers who are frustrated and angry tend to take chances they might not otherwise take: Trying to get through a traffic light while it is still yellow, weaving to get into a seemingly faster lane, or speeding. Think back to a time when you got behind the wheel while you were really angry about something. You may recall that you took out your anger on the gas pedal and the other drivers who were getting in your way. If you find yourself getting angry while you are driving home from work, take a moment to think about your driving and try to calm down. Being stopped for a traffic violation or being involved in a collision isn't going to get you there any faster.

Stress – The pressures of work and the stress it generates take a toll on the body. The pressures and frustrations you experience not only put you in a foul mood, they put your body under physical stress. When you experience conflict of any kind, whether it is work- or family-related, your body responds via the fight or flight response. This response, which was designed to protect us from danger by shifting blood to the large muscles and giving you a big dose of adrenaline, can actually be harmful in an environment where you can neither fight nor flee. You may experience this response while driving home from work when another driver cuts you off and you have to brake suddenly to avoid a collision. Repeated doses of adrenaline speed up the heart, increase blood pressure, and, after a while, wear us down and make us physically tired. Tired drivers make more mistakes and have slower reaction times. Being aware of your physical and mental state and taking action to calm yourself or rest a bit before driving home from work will help prevent those critical driving mistakes.

Distractions – A recent study showed that more than 80 percent of collisions occurred within three seconds of a driver distraction. Taking your eyes off the road for even a second or two can have disastrous results. In two seconds at 45 mph, your car will travel more than 66 feet. A lot can happen in that time and space. The anger and frustrations mentioned above can act as distractions, but some of the most distracting actions are physical. The biggest distraction in recent years is the cell phone. Brain scans have shown that drivers who are engaged in cell phone conversations are concentrating more on the conversation than on the road ahead. Studies of this type have shown that the brain isn't really capable of multitasking. The brain can only devote attention to one thing at a time. Studies also show that cell phone users drive more slowly, react slower to red lights and are slow to get up to speed once the light turns green. This is true whether the cell phone is hand-held or hands-off. A lot of the slow traffic on city streets today can be blamed on the use of cell phones. Other distractions such as changing CDs, adjusting the radio, and eating can also take your eyes off the road for those critical seconds. Driving home from work requires all your attention.

Health – Recent studies have shown that the accumulated diesel and gas fumes can have a negative impact on those drivers who may already have high blood pressure or diagnosed heart problems. The roadway environment along with the stresses mentioned above could trigger a medical emergency. If you have health problems, pull off the road and dial 911 immediately if you experience any symptoms. Be sure to visit your doctor regularly for checkups.

To make your afternoon commute safer, the following tips may be helpful:
• Take a moment to consider your attitude before you drive. Use deep breathing exercises or other calming techniques to calm yourself before getting behind the wheel.
• If you have a choice of routes when driving home from work, choose the safer route over the faster route.
• If you have to use a cell phone, pull off the road and keep the conversation short. Otherwise, let voicemail answer the call.
• Watch out for other distracting behaviors, such as fiddling with the radio or eating and drinking.
• Don't give into the temptation to "get back at" or punish other drivers for their bad driving behavior by honking your horn or cutting them off. It will only frustrate you more and could trigger a tragic road rage incident. Let it go.
• If you can, work with your employer to adjust your work hours so that you can avoid the heaviest commute periods.

Labels: distracted driving, driver attitude, driving home from work, stress and driving

Anyone who has children knows what a distraction they can be while driving.

Children who are bored, hungry, or fighting with their siblings can turn a pleasant family outing into a stressful situation. A 2006 AAA Foundation study found that 80% of crashes involved driver distraction within 3 seconds of the event. With this in mind, when driving anywhere with children, pre-planning, even on short trips, is critical.

Ensure that children have toys, games, coloring books, and books to keep them occupied. A good idea is to keep children’s travel kits in the car at all times. A mesh bag for each child can be filled with age appropriate travel activities to keep the child occupied.

Some items that can fill the travel kit are:

• Coloring books (use colored pencils instead of crayons that can melt in a hot car)
• Travel versions of popular games such as Battleship, Guess Who, etc. that the children can play with each other.
• Travel sized versions of Etch-A-Sketch for each child.
• Travel sized hand-held electronic games.
• Small personal radios or MP3 players filled with age appropriate music and headphones for each child.
• Age appropriate books.
• Stuffed animals to act as traveling companions.

The back seat may become a bit messy but that is a small price to pay compared to a bored child

An excellent resource full of games, tips, and accessories for traveling with children is MomsMinivan.com. This website also has great information on how to deal with car sickness.

If you can afford it, portable DVD players with the children’s favorite movies are a great way to keep the children occupied. Just remember that DVD screens are not allowed to be in view of the driver. If a DVD player is out of reach, local libraries have audio books that the whole family can enjoy together.

Children (up to 4' 9" tall) should always be properly secured in a child safety or booster seat with safety belts. Never allow the children to get out of their seat belts when the car is in motion. Information on the proper use of car seats can be found at the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

Traveling With Pets

Pets, no matter how well trained, can be very unpredictable. Pets should never be allowed to wander around the car or sit in the driver’s lap. Small pets that could jump or fall to the floor where they can interfere with the driver’s operation of the foot pedals can be especially dangerous.

An emergency stop could send a pet plummeting to the floor or into the dashboard where they could be injured. Pets should be secured in a car pet carrier or with a pet harness (available at pet stores) that can be attached to the seat or seat belt.

Rawhide bones can occupy a dog for hours and remember that pets need rest stops too. Make sure you have food and water available on a long trip.

Never leave children or pets unattended in a hot car. Even when it is relatively cool outside, temperatures inside a sealed up car can very rapidly reach dangerous levels on a sunny day.

Labels: children, distracted driving, pets, safety tips

How bad of a problem are distracted drivers? A landmark study for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in 2006 found that nearly 80 % of crashes and 65% of near crashes involved some sort of driver inattention within 3 seconds of the event. The majority of the incidents involved drivers who took their eyes off of the road ahead for more than two seconds. Two seconds might not seem like a long time until you consider that a car traveling at 40 mph will travel more than 117 feet during that time.

Distracted driving has become so problematic that two states, Connecticut and New Hampshire along with the District of Columbia, have passed laws making distracted/negligent driving a traffic offense. Other states are considering similar legislation. Maine’s legislature is considering a bill outlawing the use of electronic devices, applying cosmetics, performing personal grooming or any other distractions as determined by local law enforcement. Six states have now banned the use of hand-held cell phones and 19 states have totally banned the use of cell phones for teenage drivers. The Governors Highway Safety Association is calling on all states to pass legislation prohibiting certain distracting activities along with pushing for increased awareness and education on the issue.

New technology designed to improve driving safety and to prevent collisions may be of some help. Some of the new technologies include:

• Adaptive Cruise Control that uses forward looking radar to determine the distance from the car ahead, automatically slowing the vehicle when the distance narrows and regaining speed when traffic conditions are safe.


• Collision Avoidance with Brake Support sounds an alarm, activates a warning light and pre-charges the brakes assist system in case the driver needs to slam on the brakes.


• Adaptive Headlamps that pivot in the direction of travel allowing better vision on curves.


• Lane Departure Warning Systems that alert a driver if they are veering out of their lane.


• Blind Spot Detection Systems that warn of other vehicles in your blind spot.

Other technology being developed uses in car cameras that can detect when a driver's eyes are off the road too long or if the driver is becoming drowsy. This system warns the driver and suggests taking a break from driving.

All of this technology is great but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety warns that some of these new technologies may make a driver feel as if the car is on auto-pilot allowing them to become more complacent or to feel that they can take even greater risks.

Brain scan studies show that our brains really aren't adapted to multi-tasking especially when we are driving. So what is the best crash avoidance strategy? Multiple studies show that driver attention on the road ahead is the key to safe driving. Getting plenty of rest before driving, not using cell phones or other wireless devices, keeping both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road are the key. Driving is really a very complex task and the bottom line is that, in spite of all the new technology, driver error is and will continue to be the primary reason for traffic crashes.

Labels: collisions, distracted driving, driving, traffic safety