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DISTRACTED DRIVING:

THE MOST DANGEROUS DISTRACTIONS

9. SMOKING-RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Includes smoking, lighting up and/or putting ashes in ash tray. In crash reports involving at least one fatality, 1% of law enforcement officers cited smoking-related activities.3

8. COSMETICS:

Have you ever pulled up alongside of a vehicle and its driver was putting on mascara with one hand and driving with the other – but her eyes were looking up in her mirror? Unfortunately, 5% of drivers admit to applying makeup, perfume and/or lipstick while driving.5 Yikes!

7. SLOWING DOWN TO SEE AN ACCIDENT:

We’re all guilty at some point or another of rubber necking, even if it happens subconsciously. Dangerously, 21% of motorists admitted to have slowed down to have a look at an accident involving other motorists. Of course, this means that the motorist takes his or her eyes off the road ahead, risking another accident.5

6. DROWSY DRIVING:

A AAA Foundation study completed in November 2014 found the impact of having drowsy drivers on the road is substantial. Drowsy drivers are involved in an estimated 21% of fatal crashes, up from 16.5% from the previous study completed in 2010, as most drivers drift out of their lanes or off the road entirely. Drowsy drivers themselves are often crash victims who die in single-car crashes.4

Beyond texting while you’re behind the wheel, distracted driving means driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from what you should be focused on - driving.1

In fact, there are three main types of distraction:

1. VISUAL: TAKING YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD

2. MANUAL: TAKING YOUR HANDS OFF THE WHEEL

3. COGNITIVE: TAKING YOUR MIND OFF OF DRIVING2

Here, we’ll explore the nine most dangerous types of driving distractions:

KNOW YOUR R ISKS

1.2 MILL ION 80-90 PERCENT4 T IMES 5TH LEAD ING

According to the World Health Organization more than 1.2 million people die in road crashes worldwide each year – the equivalent

of one traffic-related fatality every 30 seconds – and another 20 to 50 million people are injured.

Driver behavior is responsible for 80 to 90 percent of these road crashes, meaning that preventable behaviors contribute more to fatalities and injuries than road conditions or vehicle defects.

Distracted drivers are about 4 times as likely to be involved in crashes as those who are focused on driving.

By 2030, road traffic injuries are projected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, surpassing HIV/AIDS, all forms of

cancer, violence and diabetes.9

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Building for the Future Update5. PHONE CALLS:

Nearly 1 in 4 (23%) drivers admit to making or receiving phone calls while driving, despite ad campaigns warning of such dangers and local and state cell phone bans while driving.5

4. SENDING TEXT MESSAGES:

Drivers who text can be more than 20 times likely to crash than non-distracted drivers.9A 2011 CDC study compared the percentage of distracted drivers in the United States and seven European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Overall, the study found that a higher percentage of U.S. drivers talked on the phone and read or sent emails or texts while driving than drivers in several other European countries. The study also found that about 33% of drivers in the United States reported that they had read or sent text messages or emails while driving.7

3. SOCIAL NETWORKING:

It seems like everyone has a smart phone nowadays which means social media is only a touch away. Using social media while driving can be three times more dangerous than drinking and driving. According to research conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory and the Institute of Advanced Motorist, the reaction time of a driver is slowed by 38% while using their smartphone, as opposed to the 12% of someone who has been drinking.10 Worse, people are filming and taking pictures of themselves on Instagram while they’re driving. And not just a few people: there are over 3 million posts on Instagram tagged with “#driving,” nearly 50,000 with “#drivinghome,” over 9,000 tagged “#drivingtowork” and more than 3,500 tagged “#drivingselfie.”6

2. MUSIC:

61% of motorists admit to being distracted while driving by their radio, CD player and their iPod. Risks are increased by drivers flicking through their smart phone or iPod to locate certain songs.5

1. FOOD AND DRINK:

Wait to eat your drive-thru cheeseburger until your vehicle is safely parked, or you arrive home. Why? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that eating and driving increases the likelihood of crashes by 80 percent. Additionally, 65 percent of near-miss crashes are caused by distracted drivers who are eating or drinking while driving. The NHTSA also ranked the 10 most dangerous types of food to eat while in drive. Topping the list were chocolate, soft drinks, jelly and cream-filled or powdered doughnuts, fried chicken, barbecued food, hamburgers, chili, tacos, soups and coffee.8

Media Relations Specialist

A M A N DA G E N T H E R

Sources:1. National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Distracted Driving: 2013 Data, in Traffic Safety Research Notes. DOT HS 812 132. April 2015,

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Washington, D.C.2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Policy Statement and Compiled FAQs on Distracted Driving. [cited 2016 Feb 23]3. http://www.propertycasualty360.com/2013/04/11/10-deadliest-driving-distractions?page_all=14. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety/Brian C. Tefft. Prevalence of Motor Vehicle Crashes Involving Drowsy Drivers, United States, 2009

– 2013 (November 2014)5. http://www.drive-safely.net/top-ten-driving-distractions/ 6. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/31/instagram-while-driving_n_4181120.html 7. Rebecca B. Naumann, MSPH, Ann M. Dellinger, PhD, Div of Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and

Control, CDC. Mobile Device Use While Driving – United States and Seven European Countries, 2011. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

8. http://www.decidetodrive.org/distracted-driving-dangerous/eating-driving/ 9. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Distracted Driving Global Fact Sheet [5/17 v2]10. https://www.drivesafer.com/blog/the-dangers-of-using-social-media-while-driving-2/

Last issue, we announced plans to expand our Richfield headquarters by adding a third building. The new building will be the centerpiece of our campus and have several features including enclosed walkways between our two existing buildings, a larger cafeteria, additional wellness facilities and several outdoor decks and patios.

We hope to host you once construction is complete, but in the meantime, we will use the Extra Mile to keep you updated on how things are progressing around here!

STAY FOCUSED ON THE ROAD AHEAD AND MAKE A COMMITMENT

TO YOURSELF TO NOT DRIVE DISTRACTED. REMEMBER,

NATIONAL INTERSTATE IS WITHYOU EVERY MILE OF YOUR JOURNEY.

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What started out as a wooded area and parking lot is now an active construction site. The land is cleared, the lower level is dug out and the walls and foundation are complete. Next comes the cranes and structural steel!