driver safety

Should I Use My Mobile Phone Less?

June 21, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

When is the last time that you left your house without taking your mobile phone? Can you remember the last walk you took without checking your social media feed? You have a device that allows you to work, watch shows, conduct financial transactions, keep in touch with out-of-town family, shop, and broadcast your thoughts instantaneously from nearly anywhere, and it fits in your pocket. Mobile phones have obviously revolutionized the world. You just don’t have to physically go to as many places anymore to get things done. I can’t remember the last time I actually had to go to the bank to complete a check deposit. I can do that from my kitchen.

Residents of developing countries have also seen benefits from mobile phones becoming ubiquitous. Even basic phones that only have call and text features and no internet access can operate as mobile money transfer devices. This means you don’t have to carry cash or even a credit card to conduct business anymore, leading to more economic development around the world.

There are clearly a lot of positives to having access to mobile phones. Yet, I’m old enough to remember a time when I had to leave the house to find my friends. In fact, whole generations of people lived their lives without smartphone apps or social media and the world kept on spinning. But, as we all know, for every yin there’s a yang.

The problem with phones is that nowadays, they can do so many things that as long as the battery holds a charge, a person could easily spend their entire day looking at a screen without realizing just how many hours have passed with them doing so. Cell phone addiction is now a real thing. Smart phones have been around for a little over a decade and researchers have been studying the impact they have been having on us for about as many years. One study published back in January of 2015 posed that some people feel so connected to their phones that when they find themselves in a situation when they can’t look at their screens, like a work meeting, they get anxiety due to phone separation. This leads to people spending too much time looking at their phones, which creates a vast assortment of unexpected consequences.

Time is a resource that is definitely not renewable. One of the consequences of evolutionary biology is that people need time to rest. We’ve all felt tired and we know how it feels when we don’t get enough sleep. Apart from a lack of sleep, too much time on your smartphone can lead to additional adverse health effects. But you don’t need a study to figure out that reading your news feed at night instead of going to sleep can reduce your concentration and your ability to function properly the next day.

For most of Americans, one task we can’t avoid in the morning is driving somewhere. Whether it’s to work, school or otherwise, over 80% of Adults in the United States would say they get behind the wheel frequently, and a lot fewer than that say they enjoy it. Hopefully it isn’t because they’re too tired to drive.

When you’re tired – you’re groggy and irritable. Add the stress of rush hour traffic to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. A study that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation on people working in the transportation industry found that not sleeping enough produces motor skill performance equivalent to what happens when a person consumes enough alcohol to exceed legal intoxicated driving limits.

Fatigued driving can be as bad as drunk driving. Yet, how often have you heard about someone being pulled over for driving while tired? This is a problem that requires attention from all aspects of society – government and private. Putting our phones away at night is a good first step, but that is easier said than done. With smartphones being so addictive, it’s tough to figure out how to motivate ourselves to use them less.

I’ve come up with a few tricks that have worked for me. Of course, everybody’s different and tactics that help one person find success may not be as effective for someone else. Therefore, you may go through some trial and error before you find what’s best for you. Nevertheless, here’s what I’ve done:

Put the phone away earlier – Supposing I want to wake up at 6 a.m. the next day. In order to get a full 8 hours of sleep, I probably have to go to bed by around 9:30. Before I allow myself to succumb to the temptation of scrolling through posts that can easily take me down a rabbit hole that will make an hour disappear before I know it, I put the phone away much sooner. In fact, I put the phone in another room altogether at least an hour before I plan to go to bed. That way my mind is already easing into the mode of not reaching in my pocket every few minutes to check the sports scores.
Track your screen time – If you can think of it, there’s an app for that. Get yourself a screen time tracker. This feature is already built into the iPhone and there’s probably something similar on other devices. Knowing how much time you actually spend looking at your phone can help you figure out ways to bring that number down. Also, you can set limits. You can set these applications to warn you when you’ve spent more time on social media than you would like. Monitor yourself at first to see what your actual habits are, and then modify your activity based on that.
Take walks – Or, find a way to get more active if you can. I know that exercise helps me get to sleep quicker. When I’ve had a long day at work, exercise is often the last thing I want to do. But I know that once I get started, I will feel better. Once my workout is over, my mind is calmer, and I know it will be easier for me to turn off my thoughts and drift off to sleep. If I just can’t motivate myself to do a full gym routine, I can take a walk if the weather is nice. Combining fresh air with increased blood circulation from walking usually makes me feel better and, if it’s close enough to bedtime, I’m ready to fall asleep as soon as I get back from my evening constitutional.
Turn the notifications off – You may have heard social media or smartphones referred to as slot machines. This means the way phone applications are structured is similar to a slot machine in that it is designed to make you want to stay with it for a long time and keep coming back for more. The notifications on your social media apps trigger a dopamine response so you feel good when your phone tells you someone liked or commented on your posts. You can limit the urge to keep checking your post for new reactions by turning off push notifications and checking to see what happened on Facebook while you were away rather than letting it tell you every single time somebody presses like on a picture of that great sandwich you made.
Read a book – I mean an actual book and not an e-book or an audio book. Reading before bed is extremely calming for me. I know if I grab a novel and read for a few minutes when I lie down at night, I will be ready to doze off before I know it. Now, it’s true that some books are page turners that make you want to keep reading, but if I make a habit of opening a book before bedtime on a regular basis, my body will start getting used to falling asleep at the same time. That’s when I get my optimum rest.

I hope that some or all of these tactics are helpful. Of course, you may find that you need to do your own thing to get results. There is no going back, smartphones or some version of them are here to stay and when used responsibly they are an excellent tool for promoting a business, finding work, or just keeping in touch with friends and family. But, like anything, overuse can be a problem. Therefore, many of us may want to cut down so that we can get some more rest and take care to drive safe.

Rising Drug Abuse Poses Significant Threats to Road Safety

June 20, 2019 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As we are all well aware, the United States is facing an ongoing opioid crisis it has long been struggling to control. With a total of 11.4 million people misusing prescription opioids in 2017, it is easy to see the ramifications of the opioid epidemic have found their way into the lives of commercial truck drivers throughout the United States. As of January 1^st, 2018, any individual taking a Department of Transportation federally mandated drug test, as those with a commercial driver’s license must do, would be subject to testing not only for drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines, but for semi-synthetic opioids like OxyContin, Percodan, Percocet, and Vicodin. This expansion upon the previous drug testing regulations embodies how the trucking industry has had to deal with the issue of drugs among its drivers. While opioids statistically are not the most prevalent drugs being used by drivers within the trucking industry, the new drug testing regulations confirm what many within the industry have known for years; the drug crisis America faces has hit one of its largest industries the hardest.

On June 12, 2019, the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, what many in the industry know as the “Trucking Alliance,” submitted a statement to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Sub-Committee on Highways and Transit regarding the state of drug use within America’s trucking industry. As part of its statement to Congress, the Trucking Alliance provided data which had been given to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and found compelling evidence of severe drug use among commercial drivers. The data showed results of “151,662 truck driver applicants, who were asked to submit to two drug tests – a urinalysis and a hair analysis. Almost all applicants held an active commercial driver’s license.” In addition, 94% of the applicants tested drug-free; however, there were thousands of applicants who failed either one or both of the tests given. Making the issue far worse, the urinalysis test, which happens to be the only method used by USDOT, actually did not identify a majority of users, missing 9 out of 10 actual illicit drug users. On the other hand, the Trucking Alliance has proposed that USDOT begin mandating a hair analysis to be conducted in addition to the current urinalysis routine. In total, the Trucking Alliance has now stated that based on the estimated 3.5 million commercial drivers within the United States, the data compiled would result in roughly 301,000 commercial drivers failing or refusing a hair analysis. Even though this number appears shocking, it only begins to convey the hazard that such drivers pose to road safety.

Drug Use Among Drivers is Leading to Dangerous Roads

Part of the Trucking Alliance’s plea to Congress on June 12^th was to make certain that motorists are not placed in more danger due to a commercial driver’s potential drug abuse problem. As evidenced by the survey conducted, public safety is at risk if trucking companies fail to acknowledge and appropriately test for drugs that have been proven to be rampant within the industry itself. In fact, a Quest Diagnostics analysis conducted between 2015 and 2017, found that commercial drivers who went through post-accident testing saw an increase in positive drug-testing rates rising 51%, from 3.1% in 2017 all the way to 4.7% in 2018.

Of course, the trucking industry is not the only one afflicted by the ongoing drug crisis in the United States; however, as in other industries of high stress and long hours, drug abuse seems all the more likely. With that being said, it is absolutely essential that employers take this data seriously and consider adopting new, more accurate drug tests, in addition to the mandated urinalysis test that has been proven to fail. For the health of the commercial drivers spending hours on the road alone and for the overall well being of the general public, employers must do all they can to keep unsafe drivers off the road.

The Effects of Driving Impaired

While the opioid epidemic is a crisis that must be addressed, many companies are actually finding that the legalization of marijuana through various states in the US is also contributing to driver impairment. Trucking Info’s recent Safety and Compliance report cited an interview with the American Trucking Association’s Abigail Potter, Manager of Safety & Occupational Health Policy. Abigail recently mentioned that even if a driver is operating a vehicle under 26,000 pounds, “you still have to be medically qualified to operate, and one of the requirements is to not use a controlled substance, which include marijuana.” Further, being impaired by marijuana causes “drivers to exhibit poor judgment, decreased motor coordination, and decreased reaction time,” leading drivers to be all the more likely to get into an accident and place others at risk. If these are the effects that marijuana has on drivers, now imagine the impairment that such drivers experience from opioids, which have proven to be prevalent in the trucking industry as the US experiences this ongoing crisis.

What Can Be Done

As it appears the best way to directly attack the ongoing issues within the trucking industry is based solely on understanding who is actually being affected by drug abuse, creating an appropriate guideline for company testing is the most appropriate way to start. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides a checklist to help employers with drug testing. The checklist includes the following:

Identify any federal or state laws with which you must comply
Consult union officials, if applicable
Identify and contact a laboratory certified by the Department of Health and Human Services
Create a system that maintains and protects the confidentiality of employee drug testing records
Designate an employee who will receive test results from the lab and keep results confidential
Develop a clear, consistent and fair policy before reviewing it with legal counsel
Notify employees 30 to 60 days before implementing the testing program
Contract with a medical review officer; and
Inform employees that organization leadership will comply with the policy

The most important thing to keep in mind for trucking companies overseeing this process is to know that there is data suggesting that opting for an additional hair analysis drug test will likely result in far more accurate readings. While the country is as reliant as ever on trucking to transport goods from place to place, that does not mean we should sacrifice driver and road safety to keep more commercial drivers in the industry without getting help. We need to be smart and make certain that everyone on the road remains safe.

The Trouble With Drowsy Driving

December 28, 2018 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Some of us are old enough to remember when phones were mounted on kitchen walls or sat on end tables in the living room. Now, of course, they’re everywhere. We use them as movie studious, virtual wallets, personal assistants, heart monitors, and a million other things you can think of, or a million other things you haven’t thought of yet. Today they’re unavoidable. Everywhere you go you see people looking down at their hand-held mini-screens. It’s almost as if they’re addicted. Even if you’re reluctant to admit you have a problem, with as much time as people spend on their devices, before you know it, you’ve spent half the day checking your timeline.

A study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, titled, Time distortion associated with smartphone addiction: Identifying smartphone addiction via a mobile application (App)., looks at exactly this issue. (By the way, the irony of studying smartphone addiction using a mobile app is not lost on this writer). The authors of the study noticed that people reported looking at their phones a lot less than the app tracking their use recorded them actually using their devices. This tendency to under-report seem to suggest that phone addiction is a real thing. Similar to a person who may have had a few too many at a bar insisting he, “only had a couple.”

It probably doesn’t take reading through scientific studies for the average person to see that we’re on our cellphones way too much. So much so, that it’s even become a safety concern. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 3,450 fatalities resulting from cell phone related distracted driving in 2016 alone. There’s no doubt that looking at your newsfeed while driving is incredibly dangerous, yet it happens every day. But, even if you put your phone away when you get behind the wheel, your phone habits even when you’re not in the car could be affecting your driving.

Consider another symptom of our increasingly busy modern lives – drowsy driving. It might be much harder to track than smartphone related crashes, but the government statistics on traffic accidents caused by tired drivers are no less concerning. Based on police statistics, 2015 saw over 72,000 car crashes attributed to drowsy driving.

Drowsy driving is a lot more common than you might think. Consider the average work day in America. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), at least a third of Americans are getting less than at least 7 hours of sleep a night. For people getting less than that, say 6 hours per night, that means they are up for at least 18 hours a day. This may not seem too concerning to some, however studies have shown that being awake for 18 hours straight has the same effect on a person as having a blood alcohol content of .05%, just shy of the legal limit for driving in most states. The bottom line is, if you get behind the wheel without a good night’s rest, much like enjoying too many cocktails, you risk having delayed reaction time, difficulty with decision making, and you can have trouble just paying attention.

Much of the blame for this growing exhaustion seems to be linked to us looking at our phones at night. With most people checking their phones before bed, there seems to be a quiet, lack of sleep epidemic growing in this country. Research has shown that the light from our screens is not only keeping us from getting enough sleep, but also keeping us from getting enough quality sleep to be able to be rested and alert the next day. The type of light emitted by these electronic devices not only disrupts our ability to fall asleep, it also delays our circadian clock, keeping our bodies from resting and repairing themselves, and it decreases melatonin production, our body’s sleep-promoting hormone.

It’s not just our driving that affected by lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to cognitive deficiencies like memory loss and difficulty thinking clearly. There are plenty of health risks associated drowsiness as well, including increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes.

So, what do we do to lower these adverse health risks and get more rest? There are a few life hacks that can get you back on track to a normal sleep schedule. It may sound simple, but try putting your phone away more often. At least one hour before going to bed, put your phone in a drawer. If you don’t want to turn it off in case you get an emergency call in the middle of the night, set your phone on “do not disturb” and designate certain numbers, like your spouse or your closest relatives to ring regardless of those settings. If you have trouble falling asleep, try reading a book with a traditional book light. If you prefer e-readers to physical books, get one that doesn’t light up and use the book light. These light tones don’t disrupt your sleep rhythms the way phones do. Limiting screen time allows your body to relax and naturally get ready for bed. Then, you can wake up the next morning refreshed and alert, and ready to navigate traffic. Hopefully, you’ll feel better and avoid becoming a statistic.

Have you looked at your insurance policy lately?

May 30, 2017 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

It never hurts to brush up

Like most states, Illinois requires drivers to a carry a minimum of $25,000 in liability coverage, a relatively low number compared to other states.

It’s called the mandatory insurance law, enacted in 1989 and updated in 2013, which increased the mandatory minimum from $20,000 to $25,000. The idea was to protect drivers from spending out-of-pocket for accident claims. It was a victory for Representative Laura Fine, a Glenview Democrat and sponsor of the bill, whose husband was involved in a severe accident that forced responders to amputate his arm. Fine recalled later that she and her family were at the mercy of astronomically high medical bills.

The new provisions of the mandatory minimum went into effect more than two years ago, yet it feels as though we’re still revealing what drivers should already know. The insurance laws in Illinois call for two forms of insurance coverage—liability and uninsured motorist coverage. Both types protect you in different ways. If you’re a driver, it’s important to understand what types coverage you’re required to carry. It’s also important to know what types of optional insurance coverage exist and how they work. Here’s a short refresher.

Mandatory Insurance in the State of Illinois

Liability: $25,000 per person. A requirement under most state laws that covers the costs associated with an accident that you were responsible for causing. That accounts for bodily injuries and property damage. It’s the most common type of insurance coverage, which is intended to provide financial assistance to the other party involved.

Uninsured and Underinsured: Coverage against uninsured and underinsured (UM/UIM) drivers is required in Illinois. In 2011, the Insurance Research Council found that one in seven drivers were uninsured. Uninsured motorist coverage protects you in the event that another driver is responsible for a crash, but doesn’t carry insurance. Underinsurance coverage is similar, in the sense that it protects you if the at-fault driver’s liability insurance is too low to cover costs of an accident. Illinois is one of 21 states that requires uninsured and underinsured coverage. By law, the UM/UIM policy limit equals your liability policy limit.

Optional Insurance

Collision insurance: Covers damages to your car in the event of a crash

Comprehensive: Pays for repairs in non-accident related damages to your car (i.e. an act of vandalism)

Medical payments: Covers medical costs if you’re injured in or by a motor vehicle

Uninsured property motorist damage: Covers damages to your car after an accident with an uninsured driver