Technology and Distracted Driving

June 28th is the last day of the National Safety Council's National Safety Month. Their 2009 campaign has addressed Teen Driving, Fall Protection, Overexertion, and Distracted Driving. Because of MSC's focus on highway traffic safety, I thought this final week of the campaign warranted an additional post.

Distraction is often defined as when a driver focuses his or her attention on something other than the driving task. When this happens, perceiving the nature of a potential roadway hazard and responding to it takes longer.

"New" technologies (cell phones, wireless e-mail, and so on) have received quite a bit of unfavorable attention as potential distractions. However, the real problem is that drivers misuse the technology: they send text messages while driving and have cell phone conversations that are intense enough to create a high mental workload. If we are honest, a) I think we all know better, but b) we all do it anyway, at least occasionally.

Since we can't put the technology-genie back in the bottle (and we wouldn't want to even if we could), and because we generally do a poor job of changing people's driving behaviors, this is an area where we will have to rely heavily on other technologies to assist educators and enforcers in keeping roadways safer.

One great example of engineering technology coming to the rescue is a new product called Zoomsafer. MSC doesn't have any interest in this company, we don't receive any kickback from them, and we haven't studied it ourselves (or seen other peer-reviewed studies of it). However, these folks definitely have the right idea: use technology to assist the user and make his or her experience better and safer.

Zoomsafer may or may not work--I've signed up to be a beta customer so I can find out for myself. And the product is still in its infancy (it's still signing on beta customers). But this is absolutely on the right track: making people's lives better and safer with technology, and then finding an effective way to bring that technology to market.

Distracted Driving: The Final Week of National Safety Month

The final week of National Safety Month focuses on Distracted Driving.

With the increasing number of available in-vehicle technologies, drivers and companies are facing many new challenges. Cell phones, in-vehicle e-mail, and in-cab messaging or routing systems can create large efficiency gains for companies. They can also help drivers stay in touch with friends, relatives, clients, and co-workers while away from home. But the price of these efficiency and quality-of-life improvements can be huge if the the technologies divert attention from the driving task.

As seen in the photo above, there can be plenty of potential hazards on the highway. Technology isn't going away, and it isn't going to become less commonly used; as drivers, managers, and trainers, we will have to find ways to integrate technologies into a safe driving experience. This will mean well thought out and properly enforced policies and driver training that specifically addresses the issue of in-vehicle technology.

Another critical aspect of safely integrating technology is research in the fields of engineering and human performance. Research in these fields is ongoing at many of the top universities in the US, UK, Australia, and throughout Europe.

The NSC offers four tips for mitigating driver distraction:

* If you need to use your cell phone while driving, pull over and put the car in Park.

* Hands-free mode does not make a cell phone safer.

* Avoid driving when fatigued.

* Crash rates for teenage drivers who transport teenage passengers increase with every additional passenger. Limit who rides with your teen!

The NSC sums it up like this: "When driving, keep you mind on the road and your hands on the wheel."

Transportation Safety in the News

The first three weeks of June have had more than their share of big news items related to transportation. Most interesting (and personally most encouraging) is the announcement of the American Trucking Association's 18 Point Safety Agenda. The agenda includes recommendations for improvements in Driver, Vehicle, and Motor Carrier performance.

If your opinion of the American trucking industry is still being influenced by Smokey and the Bandit (no disrespect to the movie!), take a minute to read the ATA's recommendations. They include mandatory speed limiters ("governors") set at 65mph and primary seat belt enforcement laws.

However, not everyone is behind the recommendations. The Owner Operator and Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) opposes the speed limiter provision. The link above (to TheTruckerDOTcom) includes OOIDA's statements, too.

Other important news already this month has included the release of NHTSA's Fatalites and Injuries in Motor Vehicle Backing Crashes, a comprehensive study of what causes and contributes to backing crashes on US highways and private parking lots. One of NHTSA's significant findings was confirmation that children under 5 years of age and adults over 70 years of age have an elevated risk of being injured in backing collisions.

Perhaps the most significant news came in the form of a 90-page white paper from the Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, James Oberstar (D-MN). The paper is a blueprint for the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009, and it explicitly recommends making EOBR technology mandatory for the entire trucking industry. More information about the Surface Transportation Authorization Act of 2009 is available from the US House of Representatives' website.

Overexertion

Week three of National Safety Month focuses on preventing injuries due to overexertion. According to the NSC, back injuries due to overexertion are the nation’s leading safety problem in the workplace. However, as accident investigators in the Deep South, we face other exertion-related hazards – including extreme heat during summer inspections.

As employers, it is our responsibility to make sure that employees are provided with proper training and with 100% of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) necessary for completing assignments in a safe way. Employers must also ensure that their organization is “friendly” to employees reporting safety concerns such as acute or chronic overexertion.

View the NSC's tips on avoiding overexertion in the home.

View the NSC's tips on avoiding overexertion in the workplace.

WSP's ECM Field Guide

As of 11 June 2009, the Wisconsin State Patrol Technical Reconstruction Unit's (WSP TRU) ECM Field Guide is complete and ready for publication. The Guide contains instructions for identifying and handling Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, Cummins, Mack, and Mercedes heavy truck ECMs, as well as the types of data that can be expected from them.

MSC is honored to have been asked to assist WSP Trooper Tim Austin with the final review and edits. Bill worked with Trooper Austin on some substantive issues, and MSC supplied photos of some of the rarer ECMs. Kelly also reviewed the document from a technical communication standpoint. This was a superb, well researched document before MSC was asked to assist, and we consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to contribute to such a high quality piece of work.

MSC thanks Trooper Tim Austin, Sgt. Duane Meyers, and the rest of the professional Law Enforcement Officers of the WSP TRU for providing the industry with this outstanding guide!

The ECM Field Guide is available here, and can be downloaded, copied, and distributed as needed. The document is copyrighted by WSP, so please give credit to them if you reproduce it.

Bill Speaks at the Midwest Association of Technical Accident Investigators (MATAI) Annual Conference

On June 9, at the MATAI Annual Conference, Bill presented the results of Heavy Vehicle Event Data Recorder (EDR) testing that was conducted with the Wisconsin State Patrol last month at Fox Valley Technical College. The testing involved using heavy vehicles to simulate real-life events (such as a loss of power) to better understand how an Event Control Module (ECM) records data during accidents.

MATAI is a group of accident investigators from law enforcement, engineering, and academia, whose members represent eight states in the Midwest. Visit the MATAI website.

Other speakers at the conference included John Daily (pole impacts); Ron Heusser (truck brake systems); Dr. Daniel Metz (vehicle dynamics); Rick Ruth (automobile EDRs); and Jim Sobek (conspicuity). About 125 people attended this year's conference at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Fall Prevention

During this week of National Safety Month, the National Safety Council (NSC) focuses on Fall Prevention. According to OSHA, the majority of fatal falls in work-related incidents were from ladders and roofs. According to the US Department of Labor, falls account for 8% of all occupational fatalities from trauma.

Fall protection, as well as identifying and eliminating fall hazards, are key components in limiting the number of workers harmed or killed in fall incidents.

Learn more about fall hazards and possible solutions.

Learn more about OSHA’s Fall Protection Standards.

Free Training for Parents!

With this weeks' focus on Teen Driving Safety, the National Safety Council is offering the online version of its course:  Alive at 25 FREE to anyone who registers by 7 June 09.  This is a really excellent class that's worth the small fee even if you're reading this after 7 June 09.  NSC's description of the class:

The "Alive at 25 Parent Program" is an engaging, science-based course that educates parents about the risks teen drivers face.

Click Here to register, and use the code NSM

Teen Driving Safety

This week, the National Safety Council's Safety Month Awareness Campaign focuses on teen driving. Here are some facts from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Safety Council (NSC).

• 15-24-year-olds comprise only 14% of the US population, but they account for approximately 30% of motor vehicle accident costs.
• Teens account for approximately 10% of the US population, but they account for 12% of those fatally injured in car crashes.
• 4,544 teens died in car crashes in 2005. Over 400,000 were injured badly enough to visit a hospital emergency room.
• Each day TEN 15-20-year-olds are killed in car crashes.

The CDC is an excellent resource for parents, driving trainers, law enforcement officers, and public officials. Visit the CDC's teen driver page.

The NSC provides training materials and other information to assist responsible parties (parents, driving trainers, administrators, employers, and so on) with issues on teen driving. Visit the NSC's teen driver page.

Download the NSC's Family Guide to Teen Driving.

Learn about Graduated Driver's Licenses at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Q&A page.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Support Graduated Driver Licensing and the politicians who support or advocate it.
• Be an involved parent. Several studies have shown that parental involvement has a bigger effect on teen driving safety than expensive training programs.
• Set a good example on the road. Young people tend to repeat behaviors they see in adults.