100 likes | 429 Views
The Driver and Pedestrian Distraction Challenge. Diane Wigle Safety Countermeasures Division National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) April 29, 2008. What is driver and pedestrian distraction? .
E N D
The Driver and Pedestrian Distraction Challenge Diane Wigle Safety Countermeasures Division National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) April 29, 2008
What is driver and pedestrian distraction? • Distraction is any activity that shifts attention away from the primary task: walking or driving • Distraction contributes to pedestrian/motor vehicle crashes when it occurs at a time when the driver or pedestrian is required to identify and respond to an unexpected hazard or a changing situation • “Inattention” refers to not just distraction, but also things like fatigue and impairment
Types of distraction • Types of distraction • Cognitive: thinking about something other than the road/driving or walking in traffic • Visual: taking your eyes off the road, not watching for turning vehicles • Manual: taking your hands off the wheel, walking out between two parked cars • Any task may cause multiple types of distraction
Examples of distractions for drivers and pedestrians • Technology: cell phones, PDAs, text messaging, navigation systems, iPods, DVDs • Social: talking to passengers, talking to fellow walkers, tending to children in back seat • Other: eating, grooming, reading, reaching for an object (in the car, in a briefcase, etc.)
Recent research – 100-Car • 100-Car (Naturalistic) Study • Instrumented extensively 100 vehicles for one year, continuously recording drivers • 42,300 hours of driving data collected/ ~2 M miles of driving • 109 primary drivers, 241 totaldrivers • Ages 18-73 • 82 crashes and collisions (15 police reported)
Recent research – 100-Car • 100-Car study results: • Reaching for a moving object increased risk by almost 9 times • Reading increased risk by 3.4 times • Applying makeup increased risk by 3 times • Dialing a hand-held device increased risk by almost 3 times • Talking/listening to a hand held device increased risk by about 1.3 times
Alcohol Involvement 2006 • Alcohol involvement — either for the driver or for the pedestrian — was reported in 49 percent of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian fatalities. • Of the pedestrians involved, 35 percent had a BAC of .08) or higher. • Of the drivers involved in fatal crashes, only 14 percent had a BAC of .08 or higher, less than one-half the rate for the pedestrians. • In 6 percent of the crashes, both the driver and the pedestrian had a BAC of .08 or higher.
3 E’s and Community Involvement Key • Enforcement • Enforce laws pertaining to vehicle operator and pedestrian • Improve crash reporting • Enforce laws to reduce impaired walking (Server, Public Drunkenness, Public Nuisance, Loitering, etc.) • Education • Educate both vehicle operator and pedestrians on safe roadway behaviors • Conspicuity • Impairment • Engineering • Implement engineering solutions where needed
Summary • With the increased number of in-vehicle and hand-held technologies, driver and pedestrian distraction is becoming more common • Need to address problem at community level • Need to use 3 E’s