lesson 8.1
DRIVER INATTENTION �AND DISTRACTIONS
How can you manage distractions that take your focus away from the driving task?
Drivers who reach for items on the dash or in the glove compartment, eat or drink while driving, tune the radio, or chat on a cell phone are inattentive drivers.
In one study, it was determined that 80 percent of crashes and at least 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds prior to the crash.
Driver Inattention and Distracted Driving
Driving is a complex task requiring focus on the driving task.
Driver inattention may be unintentional. Fatigue, for example, often causes drivers’ attention to drift away from the driving task.
You are a fatigued driver arriving at this intersection.
What could cause you to lose attention to your driving task at this intersection?
Distracted driving is when an event, person, activity, or object draws a driver’s attention away from the driving task.
The driver chooses to do something that is not necessary to the driving task.
Study this traffic scene. Identify possible driver distractions.
Did you see the pedestrian in the wheelchair? What could cause you to not see the pedestrian?
Predict what a driver would do if a drink falls out of its holder and spills onto the floor while making a turn.
Attention Status of Drivers in Crashes
Describe some possible causes for the “unknown” crash statistic.
Distraction Classifications
The NHTSA groups driver distractions into either those that occur inside the vehicle or those that occur outside the vehicle.
These distractions fall into four different categories:
Cognitive Distractions
A cognitive distraction is when your mind is lost in thought or in a daydream.
Why is talking on a cell phone a cognitive distraction?
How would drivers behind you react if you were waiting to make a left turn while talking on the cell phone and didn’t see the green arrow?
Visual Distractions
A visual distraction is anything that causes you to take your eyes off the roadway ahead.
Some distractions have intentionally been placed in strategic locations to catch drivers’ attention.
What message is being shown in this scene?
Auditory Distractions
Any distractions caused by sounds are auditory distractions.
Biomechanical Distractions
Any mechanical act not specifically related to driving that is performed by a driver is a biomechanical distraction.
Biomechanical distractions include:
There are things you can do when driving to avoid being distracted.
lesson 8.1 review
lesson 8.2
DISTRACTIONS INSIDE �THE VEHICLE
Driver distractions or inattentive driving are estimated to play a part in one out of every four motor vehicle crashes.
Distraction or inattention is a factor in 1.5 million collisions each year and more than 4,300 crashes each day in the U.S.!
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety suggests that when a driver’s eyes are away from the driving scene ahead for more than two seconds, the odds of being in a crash or near-crash double.
Among the different categories of inside-the-vehicle distractions are:
cell phones
vehicle equipment or controls
animals and insects
food and drink
passengers
loose objects
Cell Phones
Many newer models of cell phones act as multimedia systems to:
Hazards
Distractions such as reaching to pick up a cell phone, making or receiving a call, and sending or receiving a text message are common with cell phone usage.
Carrying on a conversation on a cell phone while driving causes a lack of focus on the driving task since your attention is on the conversation.
Many drivers unknowingly reduce their vehicle speed while talking on a cell phone.
This behavior can cause conflict if vehicles in the rear are driving at the speed limit, especially at night.
As awareness of the hazards of cell phone usage while driving has increased, efforts have been made to reduce driver distraction.
educating the public about the hazards
hands-free technology
legislation in some states outlawing non-emergency cell phone usage while driving
This driver has pulled off the road while talking on the cell phone.
Cell Phone Behavior Compared by �Selected Demographics
This driver is using hands-free technology to send and receive calls without having to remove a hand from the steering wheel.
Vehicle Equipment or Controls
Advancements in technology have resulted in many different systems and components for vehicle safety, comfort, information, control, and entertainment.
Some states have laws prohibiting any visible video displays within view of the driver.
Elaborate vehicle sound systems can hinder a driver’s ability to hear other vehicles and can create an audible distraction to people outside the vehicle.
What distractions might be related to such a sound system?
In some communities, local ordinances prohibit very loud volume levels.
This steering wheel has volume control to help reduce distractions.
A vehicle navigation system provides drivers with information about a vehicle’s position and guides drivers to a destination, and it is also a source of potential distraction.
A driver’s focus can be diverted because they
look at the screen
listen to directions
try to input data into the system while driving
How can passengers help reduce driver distraction if you’re using a vehicle navigation system while you’re traveling?
Other Distractions
Animals and Insects
If you have a pet, invest in a pet safety belt and make sure you use it any time you have your pet in the vehicle.
Food and Drink
Drivers may look at their food instead of the road, creating a visual distraction.
When drivers remove one or both hands from the wheel to hold the food or drink, they are causing a biomechanical distraction.
Research has shown that young, novice drivers are more likely to be distracted by peers in the vehicle while driving.
As the number of passengers increases, so does the likelihood of driver distraction and the risk of being involved in a crash.
Passengers
The behavior of passengers can easily distract a driver.
Describe some possible passenger distractions.
How can a driver control a distracting passenger?
A cluttered back window ledge can block a driver’s view of the traffic scene behind.
What type of impact force do you suppose an airborne tissue box traveling 55 mph would have on a passenger or driver?
Loose Objects
Objects hanging from the rearview mirror could move and fall due to a sudden stop or a turn taken too quickly.
How can objects placed on top of the dashboard or the rear window ledge be a distraction?
lesson 8.3
DISTRACTIONS OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE
How can outside-the-vehicle distractions be more difficult to deal with than inside-the-vehicle distractions?
Animals Outside the Vehicle
Animals, birds, reptiles, and many other creatures have the potential to be distractions.
When drivers experience a situation involving an animal or bird that they rarely see, they often take their eyes off the road for longer than a quick glance.
If there is something �you want to get a �better look at:
The driver has never seen an alligator in the road before.
How might a distraction like this cause a traffic conflict for other drivers approaching from the rear?
Objects Outside the Vehicle
Describe some objects on or along the road you might see while driving.
In many cities, electronic traffic information signs are installed or temporarily placed close to the road.
How do these signs help reduce driving distractions?
Why are emergency vehicles common distractions to drivers?
How can passengers help drivers avoid being distracted by emergency vehicles?
A variable electronic message sign (VMS) like this provides drivers with traffic information. They are also used to display AMBER alert information.
Scenes and Events
Crash and Fire Scenes
Two major forms of distraction associated with crash scenes are:
How can gawking create traffic backlog or a crash?
A large fire is quite a dynamic scene, requiring a lot of personnel and equipment.
What can you do to avoid becoming distracted and creating a hazard to others?
Public Events
Imagine trying to exit a stadium parking lot after a major sporting event. What potential hazards and conflicts to your path of travel can you face trying to leave this ballpark after the game?
As a driver, try to stay focused on the roadway and driving task ahead.
Did You Know?
Distractions In a recent study, interviews were held with drivers who had been involved in crashes where at least one vehicle had to be towed. Of those drivers, 8.3 percent claimed to have been distracted. Of those distracted drivers, 29.4 percent reported outside-the-vehicle distractions.
lesson 8.3 review
What are the four most common categories of outside-the-vehicle distractions?
What can drivers do to minimize inside-the-vehicle distractions?