Distracted Driving

Melissa Daily, Occupant Protection Division

02.19.2020

AGENDA02.19.2020

Legislation

Data

Distracted

Driving

Awareness

Month

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Definition

NHTSA broadly defines driver distraction as anythingthat can take visual, manual or cognitive resources away from the driving task.

Three Types of Distraction:

1. Visual - Eyes off the road

2. Manual - Hands off the wheel

3. Cognitive - Mind off the driving task

Legislation

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Current Legislation

• Handheld Cellphone Use: 21 states, D.C., Puerto Rico,

Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from

using handheld cellphones while driving.

• All Cellphone Use: No state bans all cellphone use for all

drivers, but 39 states and D.C. ban all cellphone use

by novice drivers, and 20 states and D.C. prohibit it

for school bus drivers.

• Text Messaging: 48 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and

the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers.

Source: GHSA

State Text Messaging Bans

OH

RI

MD

AK

Primary Enforcement

(all drivers)

Secondary Enforcement

(all drivers)

2 States (MT and MO) Do Not

have an All Driver Texting Ban

AR

DE

NJ

VAUT

WY

TN

WA

OR

NC

NYMN

DC

LA

IL

CT

COCA

ME

VTNH

MA

PA

WV

SC

GA

FL

ALMS

TX

OKNM

HI

AZ

NV

ID

MTND

SD

NE

KS

IA

MO

WIMI

IN

KY

PR

48 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban

text messaging for all drivers. All but 4 have primary enforcement.

OH

RI

MD

AK

Primary Enforcement

(all drivers)

Puerto

Rico

AR

DE

NJ

VAUT

WY

TN

WA

OR

NC

NYMN

DC

LA

IL

CT

COCA

ME

VT

NH

MA

PA

WV

SC

GA

FL

ALMS

TX

OKNM

HI

AZ

NV

ID

MTND

SD

NE

KS

IA

MO

WIMI

IN

KY

State Hand-held Cell Phone Bans21 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using

hand-held cell phones while driving. All are primary enforcement laws.

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Exceptions and Caveats

Source: GHSA

• Novice Drivers

• Young Drivers

• School Bus Drivers

• School Zones

• Highway Construction Zones

Every State is Different

Scope of the

Problem

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Mobile Phone use according to CTIA:

In 2018, wireless use was up across nearly every metric they

track—from voice minutes, to text messages, to data use.

Source: CTIA Everything Wireless

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The extent of mobile phone use according to CTIA:

In 2018, Americans connected another 21.5 million mobile

devices for a total of 421.7 million devices.

Source: CTIA Everything Wireless

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Increasing Use of Cellphones

Source: NCHS, National Health Interview Survey , CTIA Everything Wireless

In 2017, there were:

• 400.2 million wireless

subscriptions

• 261.9 million smart phones

• 5.5 billion text messages

per day (CTIA, 2017)

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Distraction is a Problem

• There were 2,935 fatal crashes that occurred on U.S.

roadways in 2017 that involved distraction (9% of all fatal

crashes)

• In 2017 there were 3,166 people killed in motor vehicle

crashes involving distracted drivers

• A total of 434 people died in fatal crashes that involved cell-

phone-related activities as distractions.

Distracted Driving Facts to consider

Source: NHTSA

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Demographics & Characteristics of Distracted Drivers

• An estimated 472,486 passenger vehicle drivers were

holding cell phones to their ears while driving at a

typical daylight moment in 2018.

• The 2018 NOPUS found that handheld cell phone use

continued to be higher among female drivers than male

drivers.

• Handheld cell phone use continues to be highest among

16- to 24-year-old drivers, and lowest among drivers 70

and older.

Source: NHTSA/NOPUS

National

Distracted Driving

Awareness Month

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National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

• Paid Multi-Media: April 6-13

• Enforcement: April 9-13

• Social Norming: April 13 - 30

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Call to Action for April 2020

✓ Addressing the issue – Enforcement – dedicate the time and

effort, perception is reality

✓ Understanding the extent of the problem locally – DD

Observations, highly-visible observations, plain clothes, great

earned media piece

✓ Engaging the community – Share observation results pre-

enforcement to raise awareness and inform the community

about stepped up enforcement, extent of the issue

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Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Distracted driving month is an opportunity for States and local

law enforcement to implement a variety of activities to include

public information, education, and outreach, as well as highly-

visible enforcement and communications.

U Drive. U Text. U Pay. - The 2020

campaign encourages partners to

participate in a coordinated enforcement

initiative.

Law Enforcement kick-off:

Connect to Disconnect, C2D.

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Connect-to-Disconnect (C2D)

• A 1-day national distracted driving enforcement and

awareness initiative coordinated by State Highway Safety

Offices and Law enforcement agencies across the country.

• Law enforcement will join together to send a zero-tolerance

message to the public: driving distracted on America’s

roadways will result in a ticket.

• The initiative will be comprehensive, including creative

enforcement strategies, earned and paid media, social

media, and awareness efforts.

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Connect-to-Disconnect (C2D)

Time: 4-hour enforcement period determined by the

participating law enforcement agency

Location: A single or multiple locations as determined by the

participating law enforcement agencies

Enforcement Strategy: There are a number of strategies that

have been successfully implemented and documented during

the three NHTSA Distracting Driving Demonstration Projects.

Media: Press release the day of the event, schedule coverage

the day of the event or shortly after to discuss the results of the

effort. Interviews with local TV, Radio or newspapers are

encouraged.

#

Connect-to-Disconnect 2019

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Enforcement Techniques

ENFORCEMENT TECHNIQUES BY NHTSA DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AND SITES

3 ENFORCEMENT

PROJECTS

1. High Visibility

Enforcement of

Distracted Driving Laws

2. High visibility Enforcement of

Distracting Driving Law-

Expansion to larger areas

3. Evaluating the Enforceability

of Texting Laws: Strategies

tested in CT and MA

DEMONSTRATION

PROJECT SITES

Hartford,

Connecticut

Syracuse,

New YorkCalifornia Delaware Connecticut Massachusetts

ENFORCEMENT TECHNIQUES USED

Spotter Technique

Roving Patrols

Unmarked Vehicles

Motorcycle Patrols

Intersection enforcement

Stationary/Covert

Enforcement

Lane Splitting

Saturation Patrols

Checkpoints

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Observation Forms

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Thank You!

Melissa Daily

Occupant Protection Division

ASPPH/NHTSA Public Health Fellow

melissa.daily.ctr@dot.gov