Page 44 - PCCA Journal 2nd Quarter 2012

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PCCA Journal|2
nd
Quarter 2012
44
D
istracted driving comes
in many different forms,
such as texting, using
a cell phone, eating,
talking to passengers,
grooming, looking at a map, and using a
navigation system.
Texting is, by far, the most alarming
distraction because it requires manual,
visual, and cognitive attention. Below
are some key facts and statistics that
really bring the dangers of distracted
driving to light.
• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed
in crashes involving driver distrac-
tion, and an estimated 448,000 were
injured. (National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, NHTSA)
• 16 percent of fatal crashes in 2009
involved reports of distracted driving.
(NTSHA)
• 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009
involved reports of distracted driving.
(NTSHA)
• During June 2011, more than 196
billion text messages were sent or
received in the U.S., up nearly 50
percent from June 2009. (CTIA - the
Wireless Association)
• Teen drivers are more likely than other
age groups to be involved in a fatal
crash where distraction is reported.
In 2009, 16 percent of teen drivers
involved in a fatal crash were reported
to have been distracted. (NHTSA)
• 40 percent of all American teens say
they have been in a car when the
driver used a cell phone in a way that
put people in danger. (Pew Research
Center)
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are
4 times more likely to get into crashes
serious enough to injure themselves.
(Monash University)
• Text messaging creates a crash risk 23
times worse than driving while not
distracted. (Virginia Tech Transporta-
tion Institute, VTTI)
• Sending or receiving a text takes a
driver’s eyes from the road for an av-
erage of 4.6 seconds, which at 55 mph
is the equivalent of driving the length
of an entire football field blind. (VTTI)
• Headset cell phone use is not substan-
tially safer than hand-held use. (VTTI)
• Using a cell phone while driving,
whether it’s hand-held or hands-free,
delays a driver’s reactions as much
as having a blood alcohol concentra-
tion at the legal limit of .08 percent.
(University of Utah)
• Driving while using a cell phone
reduces the amount of brain activity
associated with driving by 37 percent.
(Carnegie Mellon
University)
If you’re a com-
mercial driver,
driving distracted
is not just unsafe,
it is illegal. The
U.S. Department of
Transportation has
taken this problem
seriously and has
implemented a new
ban on hand-held
mobile phone use.
The ban prohibits
commercial driv-
ers from using
hand-held mobile
telephones while
operating a com-
mercial truck or bus.
Drivers who violate
the restriction will face federal civil
penalties of up to $2,750 for each of-
fense and disqualification from operating
a commercial motor vehicle for mul-
tiple offenses. Additionally, states will
suspend a driver’s commercial driver’s
license (CDL) after two or more serious
traffic violations. Commercial truck and
bus companies that allow their drivers to
use hand-held cell phones while driving
will face a maximum penalty of $11,000.
Now that we have a little more knowl-
edge about driving distracted, we should
educate others of the dangers.
Phillip Metcalf is the safety director for
Trawick Construction (A Quanta Services
Company), an award-winning infrastruc-
ture contractor with projects across the
United States.
SafetyWatch
The Deadly Dangers of Distracted Driving
By Phillip Metcalf
NSC Says Distracted
Driving Harms Businesses
T
he National Safety Council in April released a
white paper, “Employer Liability and the Case for
Comprehensive Cell Phone Policies,” that details
the potential liability employers face when employees are
involved in crashes where cell phone use is a factor and
explains the need for organization-wide bans that include
hands-free and handheld devices. 
The research includes examples of employers who have
been held liable with awards reaching into the tens of mil-
lions of dollars, including cases involving employee-owned
cell phones and cars and in situations where employees
were driving during non-working hours or engaged in
personal phone calls.
“Business leaders owe it to their employees to put safety
first, especially when employees are on the roads,” said
NSC President and CEO Janet Froetscher. “Employers