distracted driving

Left Turns and Common Distractions: Talking to Passengers While Driving

October 27, 2023 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

When we think about distracted driving, certain types of distractions come to mind. Phone usage, eating while driving, and adjusting the radio are often mentioned as particularly dangerous habits. But did you know that conversing with a passenger can also be a dangerous distraction? One study from the University of Michigan has even compared the level of distraction that occurs when talking to a passenger to that of texting on a cell phone.

This is because talking to passengers while driving can divert your attention away from the driving task at hand and cause you to miss important visual cues like the presence of a pedestrian. Even if your eyes remain on the road, your attention might waiver to the conversation between you and the passenger.

Remaining attentive when driving is always important, but distractions are especially risky when making left turns. Left turn are notoriously dangerous maneuvers even if they may seem routine to the average driver. This is because drivers must be aware of multiple hazards, including oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

Let’s dive in to some of the specific ways that a conversation with a passenger can cause a collision during a left turn:

Taking your attention away from the road: Like we mentioned above, you can still be distracted even if your eyes remain on the road. This is because you may be thinking about how to respond in your conversation with the passenger without realizing that a hazard is in your path. During a left turn, conversing with a passenger could even lead to forgetting to wait for a safe gap in oncoming traffic.
Leading you to miss important visual cues: We already mentioned how conversing with a passenger could lead to missing an important visual cue like a pedestrian in the crosswalk. But there are many other visual cues that you must remain aware of, such as the changing phases of a traffic light or an unusual traffic sign.
Causing you to make mistakes in judgment: Left turns require good judgement on the part of the left-turning driver. For example, a left-turning driver must be able to accurately judge the speed and distance of an oncoming vehicle. Talking to a passenger could lead you to misjudge oncoming traffic, resulting in a catastrophic collision.

If a left-turning driver is distracted, there are multiple points during the course of the turn where a collision is likely to occur. Let’s dive in to some of these possible collisions:

Oncoming traffic: As we talked about above, conversing with a passenger could lead to a collision with oncoming traffic. Commonly, left-turn collisions with oncoming traffic result in T-bone or head-on collisions. These are two of the most dangerous types of accidents, with high casualty and fatality rates.
Pedestrians: When making a left turn, drivers are often required to proceed through the pedestrian crosswalk. At an intersection without a protected green arrow, pedestrians will usually have a walk sign at the same time that a left-turning driver has a green light. Pedestrians always have the right of way in this case, and it is vital for drivers to be extra attentive so as not to collide with a pedestrian. A vehicle colliding with a pedestrian is the most fatal common collision, and drivers should be aware of any pedestrian activity.
Rear-end collisions: Distracted driving may lead a left-turning driver to forget to signal prior to executing their turn. This is particularly dangerous for intersections that do not have a designated left turn lane. This is because the driver behind the left-turning driver may assume that the driver in front intend to proceed straight through the intersection. This could lead to a read-end collision.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is a factor in approximately 15% of all fatal crashes. Talking to passengers is one of the most common forms of distracted driving, especially among younger drivers.

However, we are aware that occasional communication with a passenger while driving is not entirely avoidable. For that reason, we would like to cover some tips to keep in mind to remain attentive while driving:

Keep Conversations Short and to the Point: If you must have a longer conversation with a passenger, it is best to pull over to the side of the road until you can give your full attention to operating your vehicle.
Avoid Potentially Emotional Topics: Emotional conversations can be more distracting, so it is best to save more emotional conversations for another time.
Set Expectations with Passengers before Driving: It may be best to inform your passengers that you may not be able to respond to them right away while driving.
Refrain from Conversing during Left Turns: Left turns, which are some one of the more complex maneuvers, require your full attention. It is best to save your conversation for after you have completed your left turn.

Talking to passengers while driving can be a distraction, just like phone use or eating while driving. It is important to remember that, even though your eyes may remain on the road, your brain may be preoccupied with the conversation at hand. This can lead to dangerous collisions and cause serious harm to yourself or others.

For that reason, it is important to give driving your full attention, especially during left turns. You should be able to focus fully on pedestrian activity, oncoming traffic, and other traffic activity in the intersection where you intend to turn. Remember, safety first!

Boosted Efforts by New Safety Coalition Aim to End Distracted Driving

October 5, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A new national coalition will now focus on lowering the number of distracted driving-related accidents throughout the country more strongly than ever.

Various safety organizations launched the National Distracted Driving Coalition as a clearinghouse for state and local safety groups, an effort that will work to progress new legislation related to distracted driving behaviors and boost collaborative efforts that aim to raise awareness into these kinds of risky driving practices.

“Distracted driving kills thousands in the U.S. every year,” said the National Transportation Safety Board last month in a tweet. “During the National Distracted Driving Coalition launch, Vice Chairman [Bruce] Landsberg urged the public, community leaders, and industry to get engaged and involved in the fight to end distracted driving.”

The coalition of more than 100 members will work toward improved enforcement, data collection, and public education as a method of increasing safe driving behaviors.

“Every few hours, a life is lost on the nation’s highways due to distracted driving,” said Landsberg. “In no other mode of transportation would we accept the kind of carnage that we have on our highways.”

Along with NTSB, other main committee groups include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, American Trucking Associations, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Governors Highway Safety Association, and the Insurance Institution for Highway Safety.

“We know that ensuring safe driving behavior is key in improving highway safety, and perhaps no action would do more for the cause of safety than reducing distractions for drivers,” said President of ATA, Chris Spear. “America’s truckers see motorists on their phones while driving countless times a day, and if a driver is focused on a text or call, we know they aren’t focused on driving safely.”

ATA also noted the vitality of accurate data in order to properly measure the extent of distracted driving behavior issues. The group also shared that it would prioritize the preparation of legislative briefs to help move along new related bill measures.

“Distracted driving kills thousands and injures hundreds of thousands in the United States every year,” NTSB’s Landsberg added. “States are making some progress addressing this public health problem, but no state has implemented NTSB recommendations calling for a ban on the use of all personal electronic devices while driving except in [the] case of emergency.”

Distracted driving initiatives should also be approached with the same vigor as initiatives working to bring an end to driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, noted Drive Smart Virginia’s executive director, Janet Brooking.

“When we fund impaired driving programs, we should also be funding distracted driving programs,” she said. “When we make strong impaired driving laws with great ease, we should also be able to advance distracted driving legislation.”

StopDistractions.org CEO Jennifer Smith agreed, noting that distracted driving tends to be overlooked when analyzing driver behavior-related accidents.

“When we talk about the rising number of crashes, we hear about speeding, seat belts, and impaired driving,” she said. “But distracted driving is not mentioned. Have we given up? Is it too hard? Is it inconvenient? Why are we not doing as much as were back a decade ago?”

In regards to studies that have been conducted regarding distracted driving, driver inattention is typically directly related to a higher risk of crashing–especially with events that cause a driver to do something physically in the vehicle while looking away from the road, explain Virginia Tech Transportation Institute research scientist, Charlie Klauer.

“We are very proud to be a part of this coalition to assist in this very multi-pronged approach to reduce fatalities and injuries on our roadways that are due to distracted driving,” Klauer said.

Committee member Representative John Carson of Georgia helped pass a cellphone bill in 2018 that called for hands-free phone usage only for a driver in a moving vehicle, and has been working with legislators in many other states to urge them to do the same.

“In addition to state law, what we want to do is change the culture,” explained Carson. “Years ago, driving while intoxicated by alcohol was not as socially taboo as it is today. That’s where we want to get to with regard to distracted driving.”

Pedestrian Traffic Deaths Are At A Ten Year High – Too Much Screen Time Could Be A Cause

March 2, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A newly published study by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, a not-for-profit comprised of the highway safety offices of the 50 states, better known as the organization behind the click-it or ticket campaign, is suggesting that pedestrian deaths in motor vehicle incidents are at a ten year high. The numbers seem to match the claim. Incidents of pedestrian deaths in car crashes are up while other traffic deaths are declining. Therefore, the percentage of traffic fatalities involving pedestrians now comprises a larger percentage than before. These are the worst numbers since 1990.

Bigger Cars Means More Damage

The study links the fact that there are more SUVs on the road now than before as a possible cause of the increase in fatalities. A heavier vehicle has the potential of causing greater damage than a smaller passenger car like a sedan. Pedestrian deaths involving SUVs went up 50% between 2013 and 2017.

Vehicle trends are definitely changing. People want bigger cars. Automakers are responding in kind, limiting their offerings for smaller cars in the US. For people with families, purchasing a small car or a sedan is an unlikely choice. People also feel safer in bigger cars. The perception is that larger vehicles offer greater crash safety protection. As other categories of motor vehicle crash deaths decrease, it gets harder to argue against that conclusion.

There Are More Nighttime Crashes Too

The study points to other factors as well. Nighttime crash deaths are increasing. Pedestrian deaths seem to be increasing in numerous categories. When the publishers looked at nighttime vs. daytime fatalities, instances at night were up 45% from 2008 to 2017, whereas daytime instances went up by 11%.

Any premature loss of life is tragic. Pedestrians and drivers alike would be well served by keeping an eye out for one another as both groups certainly have the right to travel using surface streets. It’s common sense that anyone who goes anywhere should try and take proper safety precautions. However, the study also looks at population growth as a factor contributing to these alarming statistics. With increasingly bigger cars and more people in a given town, there could be more opportunities where drivers and people on foot will encounter one another, meaning the more that people proceed with caution when going from place to place, the better.

We Need to Pay Attention to Distracted Driving

One more possible factor contributing to this increase in pedestrian traffic deaths is people not paying attention to the road or where they are going. We certainly have an increasing number of big cars out on the road, but we also have more electronic devices. Screen time has significantly increased since 2008.

Consumers were first introduced to the iPhone in June of 2007. Since then, the image of a person with their eyes glued to a tiny screen has become ever present. If you ever look around at the drivers next to you when you’re stopped at a red light, unfortunately, it won’t be uncommon for one of those people to be holding up a smartphone.

The evidence against allowing drivers to use handheld electronics is mounting. Illinois, among other states, has passed stricter rules regarding the use of mobile devices behind the wheel. Some researchers have equated using a smartphone while driving as similar to being drunk and getting behind the wheel. Both have been shown to slow down reaction times and decrease our ability to focus on what’s going on outside our windshields. Just think of your own experiences. If you have ever missed a turn because you were having a conversation with a passenger, imagine how poorly you drive trying to send a text message.

The one thing we all have control over is the use of our phones. Whether you are a pedestrian or a driver, there can be no debate – if you’re looking at a screen, you are not looking where you are going. If you need to check your phone, the best thing to do is go to a safe place. If you’re driving, find a safe place to pull over. If you’re walking, find a safe place to stop. When it comes to injuries or death, none should be the result of smartphone distraction.

Fatigued and Distracted Truckers Continue to Cause Fatal Accidents

February 1, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

ROCKFORD, Ill. — On January 11th, a FedEx truck in northern Illinois struck a disabled vehicle and killed the woman inside.

According to Illinois State Police, the truck driver crashed into the disabled vehicle around 1:20 a.m. on I-90 in Rockford, and the woman driving the disabled car was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman had her 4-year-old child in the car–the child had non-life threatening injuries and was taken immediately to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Unfortunately, incidents of this kind aren’t rare. In March of last year, a state trooper and a passenger in a disabled car were hurt when a tractor trailer collided with both the patrol car and the disabled vehicle on the side of the road in Kingston, New York.

New York State Police said the trooper was was helping the driver to change a tire and that the trooper had been sitting in his vehicle when the tractor trailer hit his cruiser and then the driver’s side of the disabled vehicle before continuing to drive northbound on I-87.

The tractor trailer managed to push the SUV into the passenger of the disabled Tahoe, which caused the driver to be pushed into the guard rail. Both the driver and trooper were transported to the nearest hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

All U.S. states have a “Move Over” Law in place which requires all vehicles to safely move over into further-away lanes for all police, firefighters, first responders, tow-truck drivers, and other personnel as the work at accident scenes.

Because all commercial truck drivers are trained with these laws in mind and are taught how to drive without distraction, it seems avoidable accidents such as these should occur much less regularly. However, there are a multitude of reasons why they don’t.

The biggest one? Fatigue.

When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced its plans to relax safety rules for truck drivers–including implementing extended duty time and more flexible mandatory break time–many people were worried about what the longer hours could mean for distracted driving and driver fatigue among truckers.

Linda Wilburn, for instance, was waiting for her 19-year-old son Orbie to stop by her house just 10 miles from his new rental when he was fatally hit from behind by a big rig speeding down I-40 east from Weatherford, Oklahoma.

The 41-year-old Kentucky truck driver also died at the scene. According to Linda Wilburn, he had been driving at least 1,300 miles “without a rest break at all” from Bakersfield, California.

Because of this, the Wilburn family has been rallying against the new proposed flexibility, which would allow drivers to split up mandatory 10-hour rest breaks into 5-5 or 6-4 hour splits, with control over whether or not they actually rest. It would also extend driving time by two hours for truckers working in any inclement weather conditions and would lengthen the maximum on-duty period to 14 hours.

Still, the National Transportation Safety Board says it is working hard to focus on fatigued driving issues, and has named the reduction of fatigue-related accidents on its ‘Most Wanted List’ of 2019-2020 safety improvements.

“Drowsy driving does not leave telltale signs,” the list says. “It is widely believed to be underreported on police crash forms.”

Harry Adler, the Truck Safety Coalition’s executive director, knows this is a major road safety problem.

“These (proposals) are opportunities for drivers to be pushed to their limits further, to drive without resting,” he explained, “It’s more opportunity for a driver to operate while fatigued, which is really detrimental.”

Because fatigue while driving can lead to slower responses and distracted actions, some in-cab driver monitoring systems are working to deter it. Bison Transport has been testing in-cab monitors through Seeing Machines Limited technology, meaning it will install its automated monitoring systems into one of Canada’s largest fleets.

During a testing period, the company found a reduction of 67% in fatigued driving incidents, of 40% in distracted driving incidents, and of 97% in cell phone use. The driver monitor can assess a driver’s visual attention, drowsiness, and probability for risk with its vision algorithms by tracking eye movement and notifying drivers with audio and vibration alerts.

Although methods like these may be helpful, it appears the biggest boost we could give truck driver safety would be to ensure truckers are regularly getting enough rest and are able to stay alert throughout their entire journeys. When that is the priority, it is safe to assume all drivers on any road will be much safer.

Chicago Experiences a Significant Increase in Pedestrian Deaths Since July 1st

August 9, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

With this summer’s introduction of e-scooters to the streets of Chicago, much of our coverage and interest has revolved around how the City plans to not only curb traffic incidents arising from scooter users’ inability to follow the makeshift laws that have been established throughout the Summer, but the overall affects such riders have on pedestrians, bicyclists, and cars that are navigating the streets alongside them. Thrown to the wayside among this news cycle has been the fact that Chicago has actually experienced a large increase in the number of pedestrian deaths since the beginning of July. As previously reported by Streets Blog Chicago, the Chicago Department of Transportation had acknowledged that pedestrian deaths as of June 2019 had actually seen a 40% decrease year over year. Unfortunately, July proved to be much more dangerous for pedestrians in the city.

According to Block Club Chicago, “between Jan. 1 and July 31, 23 pedestrians were killed in the city. Six of those deaths occurred in July, the deadliest month for Chicago pedestrians since April 2018, when eight pedestrians were killed.” Making these numbers even more problematic is the fact that many safety experts throughout the community believe the issue to be a growing number of vehicles on the road. Unfortunately, the Department of Transportation has also found that one-third of the 23 pedestrian deaths in 2019 occurred in a marked crosswalk. As we have seen time and again, distracted driving remains a likely factor in these types of deaths. And why is that? For starters, our lives revolve around technology that we believe to be easily accessible at any moment. As we are walking down the street, we can video call our friends and family members and simultaneously multitask with the abundant number of apps we have on our phones. It is pretty easy to understand how we become so desensitized to taking our eyes off the road and letting our surroundings take a backseat to what we are really focused on. But that’s not an excuse and it should remain that way as the technology we use in our everyday lives becomes more advanced.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has an entire section on their website pertaining to this topic and we certainly recommend that all drivers become familiar with it. For instance, they state that “sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.” In addition, distracted driving, such as texting, has truly proved to be incredibly dangerous with 3,166 people being killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2017. All this goes to say that it just really is not worth it, and the ramifications of such driving pose far greater risks than missing a text or call from someone.

Drivers Are Not the Only Issue

While it may be easy to point fingers at the driver in situations such as these, the reality is that pedestrians may be just as negligent as the drivers themselves. As one-third of the 23 pedestrian deaths in Chicago have taken place in marked crosswalks, it is very likely that several of those instances included a pedestrian who was walking across a crosswalk while looking down at their phone or with it up to their ear. The issue with our lives revolving around these devices is not that they take our attention away from just the road, but our surroundings entirely. As we have previously written, many states have started invoking laws that ban cell phone use in crosswalks. The danger such actions pose is far too high and unnecessary just as they are for drivers. With that being said, the issue may be two-fold; however, we all know that individuals in marked crosswalks have the right of way and we should not be experiencing this issue in 2019. As a society, we have had years to adjust and understand the ramifications of these devices. It’s upon us now to make certain that drivers understand their actions and pedestrians do all they can to be safe. As Chicago has clearly had a far better year than previously regarding deaths, all it takes is a bad day and series of unfortunate circumstances for these accidents to take place. Unfortunately, whenever we see such accidents occurring where they shouldn’t, it makes the alarm bells sound and we must acknowledge that something is wrong. As Chicago becomes more populated and the number of drivers on the road increases, it will become more dangerous, but it really does not have to be that way. Distracted driving does not have to be a thing because we control these devices. We should be doing everything we can to curb it.

Illinois State Police Working Alongside Truckers to Curb Distracted Driving

June 25, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As of June 19, 2019, Illinois State Police Officers have begun taking an unconventional approach to monitoring highway safety in Chicago. Throughout this summer, don’t be surprised if you happen to see state troopers seated alongside truckers on the road. “Trooper in a Truck” is what the Illinois state police are calling the new program, which they partnered with the Illinois Trucking Association and Cadence Premier Logistics to make a possibility. Due to significant increases in the number of fatalities resulting from distracted driving all across the United States, the “Trooper in a Truck” program makes sense.

As WJOL recently reported, “the new program is helping officers spot and correct unsafe driving behaviors of passing motorists by riding in the cabs of commercial motor vehicles and watching primarily for distracted driving offenses. Troopers are able to observe the violation taking place and notify other police units ahead to take enforcement action.” Based on the initial results, the plan just might work. On a single day of working the program, on June 19^th, police were able to issue more than 20 tickets for a variety of violations including distracted driving and improper lane changes.

While the new program may be unique to Chicago, it’s important to mention that troopers have been doing this program throughout the state for roughly a year now, and for good cause. Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 3,450 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2016, which comes to roughly 9 people in the United States being killed each day by a distracted driver. Additionally, the CDC goes to great lengths to provide necessary information that any driver should know when it comes to distracted driving such as the types of distracted driving an individual may be practicing on the road. Such types of distractions include visual, such as taking your eyes off the road; manual, meaning taking your hands off the wheel; and cognitive, taking your mind off of driving. After seeing these three categories, it is easy to imagine just how dangerous our favorite electronic devices are when driving on the road. For example, using a cell phone while driving combines all three categories essentially rendering yourself blind while driving.

Maintaining Road Safety

Outside of Illinois with its Trooper in a Truck program, many other states have adopted stricter distracted driving laws than what Illinois currently imposes. For example, Illinois currently prohibits the use of hand-held cellphones, texting, or using other electronic devices while driving. Further, if a driver is involved in a crash resulting from a distracted driver, they may end up facing criminal penalties and incarceration. However, violators of the law will only be charged a $75 fine for their first offense, which if caught again will increase by $25 and eventually be capped at $150. On the other hand, states with similar driving laws have actually imposed far stricter penalties if caught with a cell phone. For example, in 2017, Oregon unveiled a new distracted driving law that fines individuals $1,000 for a first offense, with a maximum fine of $2,000. While it is clear that each state handles driver safety differently, you would be hard pressed to find someone willing to risk paying $1000 for using their cell phone while driving. All of this goes to say that distracted driving is an issue. State’s are adopting these new rules for good reasons and we need to make certain that we do our best to follow them.

Tips for Drivers

With Trooper in a Truck now making its way to Chicago, it is safe to say we can all expect our actions on the road to be watched much more closely. This isn’t a bad thing though. Chicagoans should be practicing safe driving no matter what. However, this is a great time to finally get yourself to put the phone away for good and practice additional safe driving tips. The Associated Press reported in April of 2019 that Floow, “a telematics-based provider of smarter and safer mobility solutions has studied billions of journey miles to identify a number of key behaviors that have a significant impact on driver safety.” As a result of their tests, Floow put together a list of driver safety tips and best practices that if done properly, will certainly result in safer roads. See below for their list:

Put your cell phone out of arm’s reach. If you can’t grab it while you’re driving, you’ll get in the habit of waiting to answer your phone when it’s safe.
If you must talk, do it hands-free. Some cities and states have banned texting while driving altogether. Either way, a hands-free Bluetooth device is the safer way to go.
Secure your mobile device. Put your cell phone in the glove compartment or some other place where it’s securely stowed. The Floow’s crash testing shows that a free-flying mobile device can cause further damage or injury during a collision.
Pick a safe time to travel. Studies indicate that you are statistically more likely to have an accident between 11pm and 7am than at any other time of day. Planning ahead and choosing a responsible travel time will minimize risk.
Take regular breaks during long journeys. The longer you drive, the harder it is to stay alert. During a longer trip, take a quick refresher break every two hours.
Consider the speed limit as a guide, not a target. All driving conditions aren’t equal. When the weather is bad, or the driving conditions are less-than-desirable, slow down to allow for a greater breaking distance.
Drive smoothly. Aggressive acceleration and deceleration are both potentially dangerous. The smoother you drive, the greater your reaction times will be.