It's a Tough Task to Drive Distraction-Free

Written by Laura Cerutti

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety recently released the second part of a long-term study to evaluate the use of hands-free calling systems and how these “safety” features relate to distracted driving. Contrary to the public’s popular belief that driving while using hands-free voice features eliminates risk, the study actually found that hands-free devices are just as dangerous as driving while using a handheld cellphone.

More and more drivers have turned to hands-free calling features with the belief that they are a safer alternative. If their eyes are on road and hands are on the wheel, then what danger could there be? Yes, hands-free does reduce visual and manual distractions associated with cellphone use while driving but cognitive distractions persist.

Cognitive distraction occurs when our focus shifts away from the primary task of driving to attend to another like having a conversation on your car’s speakerphone. We think our full attention is on the road just because we are looking it at, but we are not actually processing what we are seeing.

This “looking without seeing” is known as inattention blindness. While our mind is elsewhere as we proceed down the road, our visual scanning decreases and our reaction time is impaired. If a pedestrian were to run out in front of us while we are driving and talking via Bluetooth, we may not process the danger and react quick enough to slam on the brakes. And when operating a vehicle, sometimes a fraction of a second is the difference between life and death.

We have known for a while that driving with a phone pressed to our ear is dangerous and texting while driving is even more ludicrous. Now we know hands-free is not risk-free either. This all got me thinking, what is it about driving that makes us want to engage in a phone conversation?

I think that when we spend so much time alone in our cars that we start to feel isolated, especially for those who have long commutes to work and deal with daily traffic nightmares.  On these long monotonous rides, we look for something to occupy or mind and relieve loneliness, so what do we do? We press a button and tell our car’s voice-command system to place a call.

It is a backwards concept to think that driving is our downtime and we need to find something to pass the time behind the wheel. I have a friend that told me she regularly uses her 45-minute commute home from work to call friends and family members to catch up. She also disclosed that driving home is the only time she has during the day to place these personal phone calls and maintain connections with people who are important her.

It seems that driving has become second nature to so many of us over the years that we think we are able to multi-task behind the wheel. But juggling cellphone use while driving has proved to have tragic consequences. We may believe that we are skilled multitaskers, but in reality it is impossible for the human brain to efficiently carry out more than one task at a time.

Talking and driving are drawn from two different regions of the brain, and when we combine both tasks at one time, they have to compete for our mind’s attention and focus. Our mental workload only goes so far, and instead of multi-tasking we rapidly switch back and forth between tasks and are unable to carry out both talking and driving as thoroughly as we think.

I also firmly believe we have become very addicted to technology, mainly our cellphones. Today, 90% of American adults own a cellphone and 58% of those cellphones are smartphones. Now compare that to way back when in 1996 where only 14% of people had cellphone subscriptions. These so-called “smart” mobile devices allow us to connect socially and access information instantly from almost anywhere, and our cars are no exception.

According to a study published by the Journal of Behavioral Addiction, cellphone dependency has been categorized along with gambling and shopping as a behavioral addiction, which is defined as the “the compulsion to repeat a behavior despite its negative impact on one’s well-being”. We know that distracted driving is dangerous but the gratification we receive from instant social connection causes us to jeopardize our safety for our phones.

Car manufacturers are perpetuating our compulsion to communicate with the outside world while driving by including hands-free/voice-activated systems and marketing them as “safety” features that come standard in all new models. The idea of pressing a button on the steering wheel and commanding these systems to make a phone call would seem like a simple task. AAA found that the majority of these voice-command systems are full of errors and inaccuracies making them a less safe option even though consumers are led to believe otherwise. For example, when telling the system to “call home” and it calls your work phone instead, your mind enters into a full-on state of distraction as it works to correct the mistake immediately.

According to the CDC, 9 people are killed and 1,153 are injured everyday as a result of cellphone use while driving. So far 44 states have banned texting and driving while 12 states, including New Jersey, have banned all handheld cellphone use while driving. The only group that has hands-free device restrictions is new drivers under the GDL.

For now, more experienced drivers are able to use hands-free devices with no legal consequence. As more research is being conducted on the impacts of hands-free while driving, the next step may be to outlaw these systems as well. The real work would also need to come from individual drivers to learn to be comfortable alone in the car and resisting the temptation to multi-task while driving.

Back to School: Fall into Safety

Written by Laura Cerutti

As summer is on its way out, you may be finding your commute falling back into its natural rhythm as autumn creeps in. When June rolled around and schools were let out for the summer, I noticed a significant change in my morning commute to work. The local roads were drastically clearer, the familiar lineup of cars outside the middle school I pass every morning disappeared, and the crossing guard that stops traffic as soon as I approach her crosswalk (I swear she’s trying to make me late) was missing from her usual post. No frantic parents. No children walking or biking. No school buses.

Just like the students, my regular commute went on summer break between June and September. I found myself being able to breeze down the local roads with ease and even started to catch few extra minutes of sleep than I usually would, being that I was able to leave a little later. But I knew this would be short-lived because morning commutes go through seasonal changes of their own that coincide with the school calendar. As soon as the temperature heats up and school is let out in June, the local roads are noticeably clearer and more manageable, but when September rolls around it is right back to the usual hustle and bustle.

Now that this year’s summer break has come to an end, 55 million children across the United States are heading back to school and it is that time of year where school zone back-ups, crossing guards, and school buses reclaim the road. All road users are feeling the “back to school blues” in some way with 20 to 30 percent of morning rush hour traffic attributed to kids being driven to school.  This additional traffic was absent just a few weeks ago and is now back in full swing.

If you pass a school on your commute, like I do, you are probably familiar with the commotion that occurs around school zones. Parents make bold driving maneuvers trying to get a prime pick-up/drop-off spot, cumbersome school buses try to make their exit out of narrow school driveways and on to busy streets, and children are making their way on foot to or from school grounds. You may be in a rush to get to work or you may be a parent trying get your kids in class before the late bell, but after being spoiled by the relaxed roads of summer break, it is time for all road users to get back into their regular groove and exercise extra caution now that school is back in session.

It is true that only 13-14 percent of school-age children walk or bike the full way to school compared to past generations where 50% walked/biked in 1969. But that doesn’t mean children are riding in cars or school buses 100% of their trip to and from school. Kids are still taking to the streets and sidewalks on foot to meet a parent at pick-up time or boarding a school bus in the morning.

The times right before and after school hours are the most dangerous time of day for young people walking. Children ages 10 to 17 years old are one of the most vulnerable pedestrian populations because children are harder to see, are less predictable and lack proper judgment for determining safety. That being said, drivers need to take personal measures to drive safely especially when traveling close to schools or along bus routes.

Think about it. Have you ever overslept one morning and rushed out the door to get caught up in traffic around a school zone or stuck behind a stop-and-go school bus? We all know the feeling you get when you are running late. Anxiety builds with every minute as the time on the clock ticks closer to your start time. Some people take some risky measures to make sure they keep moving and arrive on time by speeding and not giving their undivided attention to the road.  Some drivers may even try to get around a stopped school bus.

The chances of a crash increases when drivers are drowsy, rushing, and/or distracted. A video report from NBC News states that there has been a sudden surge in dangerous driving in school zones or around school buses and every year 100 children are killed and 25,000 are injured in collisions while getting to and from school. The video shows two separate instances (of many reported cases) where drivers failed to stop for school buses and nearly hit children and distracted or careless driving is to blame.

You would think it would be impossible to miss a big yellow school bus stopped in the middle of the road with flashing lights but in 2013 two million more drivers passed school bus stop signs compared to 2011. School buses are the safest form of school transportation, but students are most likely to be hurt stepping on or off the bus. The areas 10 feet around a school bus, especially in front or on the sides of buses, are considered “danger zones” where impatient or distracted drivers are most likely to strike a child pedestrian.

All 50 states have made it illegal to pass a school bus that is loading or unloading students and in New Jersey all vehicles must come to a complete stop 25 feet away from a stopped school bus. This goes for both sides of a two lane road with no physical barrier. Drivers must remain stopped until the road is clear of students and the bus’s flashing lights have turned off. If caught violating this law, NJ drivers are subject to a $100 fine and five points on their driver’s license.

School zones are designed to be safe zones for children with crossing guards, crosswalks and a 25 MPH speed limit.  With schools back in session, motorists must make a conscious effort to travel with extra care to ensure a safe environment in the areas where children travel. This could mean leaving a few minutes earlier, eliminating all distractions, and remaining vigilant to students and school buses. If you are a parent, talk to your children about how they can travel safely to and from school with these tips from the National Safety Council.

Kicking the Habit: End the Distractions

Written by Judy Bortman

On July 1, 2014, penalties for using a handheld cell phone while driving increase significantly in New Jersey. While I don't use a handheld cell phone or even talk hands-free while driving, this got me thinking about changing a habit and what it takes to alter behavior.

Would motorists actually put down their cell phones because fines are doubling? Does talking trump higher fines? Do most drivers perceive they're immune from the law and don't expect to be caught? 

In his book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcolm Gladwell explained the sociological changes that mark everyday life. He defined a tipping point as "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." It's where change begins. 

Could higher fines and greater penalties for using a handheld cell phone become a motorist's "tipping point?" And if so, how long would it take for a motorist to actually change the handheld habit by their own volition?

The Tipping Point: Where Change Begins

If we applied Mr. Gladwell's theory to technology, the tipping point would be the time when a product jumps from use by early adopters to become mainstream. Think Google Glass. Right now the curious looking spectacles are expensive, worn by a few, admired by some and stared at by many.

Google Glass

Someday down the road, however, Google Glass will likely be affordable and the norm. No one will be staring. But that change will take time just as, with time, other driving laws have become second nature.

We know that it's against the law to drink and drive and literally stupid to not use seat belts. Some years ago not everyone felt this way. Laws were made and enforced, media stories and outreach by organizations such as TransOptions increased awareness, life-saving data was tallied and, in time, behavior changed. As an example, New Jersey's seat belt law first went into effect on March 1, 1985. Today, over 93 percent of NJ motorists observe that law. Is it only a matter of time before not holding a cell phone is also the norm?  If so, how long should it take?

I had heard that it takes 21 days to change a habit. After moving to a new home or starting a new job, it's true that life and surroundings seem more familiar, comfortable and "routine" after three weeks.

The 21 day change theory was started in the 1950s by a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz. He noticed a pattern among his patients about 21 days after surgery by observing how they adapted to seeing changes to their bodies. In 1960 Maltz published his thoughts in a book called Psycho-Cybernetics that became a blockbuster hit and has influenced motivational speakers and change-theorists to this day. 

"It takes (a minimum of) 21 days to form a new habit." -Maxwell Maltz

Twenty-one days seemed like a small window of time to form a new habit, especially one so ingrained as holding a cell phone while driving. Some searching led me to a study by Phillippa Lally published in 2009 in the European Journal of Social Psychology. Lally and her research group wanted to find out how long it actually takes to form a habit. 

They studied the "new" habits of 96 people during a 12-week period to note when their behavior felt automatic. At the end of the 12 weeks, researchers analyzed the data to determine the behavioral "tipping point."

Their finding?  On average it took more than two months for a new behavior to become automatic – an average of 66 days.  Realistically, they found it actually may take from two to eight months to create a new life behavior. 

About 20 years ago I worked for a division of Novell, a company that was leading the shift to sharing files on local area networks. This networking revolution met resistance because it was a new concept and would end the dominance of mainframe computers.

Novell's model changed computing and it didn't happen overnight. Ray Noorda was president during this dynamic time (1983-1994). His quote about change is still cited and rings true to this day: 

If you're still using a handheld cell phone, this is a good time to think about embracing change, focusing on driving when you're behind the wheel and altering what's become a habit.

Start by putting a message on your cellphone voice mail saying that you're either not available or driving and will return the call as soon as possible. Place your phone on mute while driving so you're not tempted to answer. Try putting it in a purse, bag, briefcase or even the back seat so that it’s not readily accessible while driving.

And if you're a parent, just think of the example you’re setting for your children.  From the minute the "car seat turns around" your child can see you driving. Let's hope they mimic what you do and down the road won’t have to change.

Avoiding the Peril that Lurks in Parking Lots

Written by Judy Bortman

Next time you pull into a shopping center to do an errand, ask yourself about the most "stressful" part of your outing. Was it navigating the parking lot? Did you have a close encounter with a car or pedestrian while getting to and from the store entrance? 

Parking lot peril is a real and growing concern. And there's data to prove it. Recently Nationwide Insurance claims data revealed that 13% of automobile accidents occur in parking lots where distractions abound. A 2014 New Jersey study showed that distracted drivers caused nearly half of the 1.4 million crashes that occurred in our State during the last ten years. Tragically, 1,600 people were killed by inattentive motorists.

"I don't get no respect!"

Parking lots are a growing danger zone and yet most people ignore them. Comedian Rodney Dangerfield often said, "I don’t get no respect." Perhaps it’s time we start respecting parking lots. We know that they are busy places where the unexpected can occur. And often does. But do we pass through those shared road/walk areas with more caution? Usually not.

I began to wonder if awareness of parking lot peril was increasing and found it was popping up on radar screens nationwide. Last November, in time for holiday shopping, a safety campaign called HeadsUp in Parking Lots was launched as a collaboration between government, property owners and retailers in Montgomery County, Maryland, (near Washington, D.C.) to address a 50% increase in parking lot collisions that occurred in the last five years. A startling one-third of Montgomery County pedestrian accidents occurred in parking lots and garages resulting in 300 people being injured, 100 of them seriously. Perhaps not surprisingly, 80% were the fault of motorists.

But how can we address the problem?

A resourceful parent in Michigan created Parking Pal as an antidote to manage the stress and safety concerns she faced in parking lots during shopping trips with her three young children. Parking Pal is a colorful magnet  with a handprint showing children where to place their hand to stand safely in place while the adult is loading or unloading the vehicle or momentarily occupied otherwise. Parking Pal has earned rave reviews from parents for helping to avoid to a potentially dangerous situation. 

Another peril-reducing parking lot strategy is to park farther away from a store rather than waiting for a closer space by the entrance. You'll park more quickly, free up traffic and get a bit more exercise from walking a few more steps. Even better is finding a parking space where you can "pull through" and exit the space by driving forward. 

Parking lot peril can occur even without being on a cell phone or driving a vehicle.  Have you ever parked your car in a shopping center or at an office complex and had trouble finding it again? Suddenly you’re transformed into a distracted pedestrian who's wandering between rows of parked cars searching what seems like endlessly for your vehicle. Some easy solutions help reduce your peril.

If you have a smart phone, try taking a picture of the sign identifying the row where you've parked. A simpler option is to make a mental note of a landmark or a parking lot sign nearby before leaving your car – or better yet, write it down.

"Hey, didn't we come in over there?"

Common sense tells us that a parking lot is neither a speedway nor a sidewalk. It's a  shared area where motorists and pedestrians just need to slow down, be alert and stay off of cell phones. But do we?

It's has been said that the best defense is a strong offense. Who ever thought that would apply to parking lots?

If you think your office could benefit from a lunch and learn session on distracted driving, let us know. We're happy to come in and tailor our message to your group. Share your stories of parking lot peril below!