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

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

Driving safety experts have determined that distracted driving contributes to motor vehicle crashes.

A study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute concluded that almost 80 percent of motor vehicle crashes and 65% of near crashes involve driver inattention within three seconds before the event. While the study looked at all different types of driver distractions, it listed use of wireless communication devices (cell phones and PDAs) as the most common form of driver distraction.

Governors in all 50 states have been urged to support legislation that either bans or severely limits the use of cell phones while driving. The request was based on a study by the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis that showed cell phone use is responsible for some 636,000 crashes, resulting in 330,000 injuries and 2,600 deaths each year.

The Harvard study is just one of several over the past few years that have concluded that cell phone use while driving is dangerous. The studies looked at cell phone use and the use of in-vehicle technology from several different aspects; observing driving behavior while using cell phones, how the brain functions when multi-tasking, and the decision making process to use technology while driving.

Five states currently ban the use of hand-held cell phones in favor of hands-free devices while driving. However, several studies have shown that there is little difference between the two when it comes to minding the road ahead. Both hand-held and hands-free devices involve listening. The act of listening is what distracts drivers from paying attention to the road. A study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University placed participants in a functional MRI scanner that allowed researchers to observe brain activity while the subjects “drove” on a computerized roadway. Without distractions, the area of the brain that lit up most was the area involved in spatial perception (knowing where you are and what’s around you). When the same subjects were tasked with listening to and correctly answering a series of questions as they drove, the area of the brain that lit up most was the area involving language comprehension, while activity in the spatial perception area of the brain decreased by as much as 37 percent. Multitasking places high demands on the brain.

Studies that looked at the decision making process drivers engage in when using a variety of in-vehicle technology devices (cell phones, PDAs, GPS, CDs, radios, etc.) showed a disturbing trend. Traffic or road conditions were not necessarily a factor in determining when to use a particular device. The decision was based more on the driver’s motivation to use the device rather than whether or not road conditions were safe enough to permit the task. It was also revealed that participants didn’t rate use of a cell phone as any more dangerous than eating or drinking in a vehicle.

A study completed by the University of Utah put subjects in a driving simulator while researchers observed their driving behavior in three scenarios: 1) without distractions, 2) talking with a passenger, and 3) while engaged in a cell phone conversation. The participants drove roughly 8 miles on a simulated freeway with light to moderate traffic. They were instructed to exit the freeway at a rest stop. Drivers talking on cell phones performed the worse. They were more likely to weave or depart from their lane, and were four times more likely to miss their scheduled turn off at the rest area. Talking to their passenger had little effect on their driving. Although talking on the cell phone or talking to a passenger both require listening and conversation skills, a passenger can provide assistance in pointing out dangers ahead or limit a conversation when the driving task becomes more complicated.

An earlier University of Utah study showed that a 20 year old driver on a cell phone had the same reaction time as a 70 year old. Regardless of age, drivers on cell phones were 18% slower in stepping on the brakes, and 17% slower in regaining their speed after braking. They also kept a greater following distance and slower speed than drivers who were not using cell phones, which contributes to congestion on the roadways.

Labels: cell phone, driver safety, driving distractions