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The Alabama “Hands-Free” law goes into effect June 14. This law prohibits using electronic devices, like cell phones, while driving. Last year, Alabama lawmakers passed the measure while much attention was focused on distracted driving. The main goal of the law is to protect everyone on the road. “People should keep in mind that they […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky driving behavior poses a danger not only to vehicle occupants but pedestrians and pedalcyclists as well. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention that occurs when drivers divert attention from the […]
Previous research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety on the effectiveness of countermeasures for distracted driving (see Related Content below) concluded that results of existing evaluations were mixed, there was questionable generalizability to other populations or regions and, in other cases, insufficient evidence to draw firm conclusions. Thus, this research compiled information on distracted […]
Communication campaigns are among the most widely used efforts to promote traffic safety and can be used to promote safe driving practices and knowledge of traffic laws, and otherwise educate the public. One way campaigns could be improved is to use behavior change theory in campaign development. Behavior change theories are developed to explain and […]
This project aimed to determine if excessive device use while driving is the result of an addiction, why this behavior persists, and what countermeasures to consider. This Traffic Tech briefly summarizes it. Reviewers consulted academic, government, and private-sector material from several disciplines including human factors, traffic safety, psychology, and demography. More than 270 sources were […]
It’s important for everyone sharing the road to be aware of the dangers of driving while distracted. To support CMV drivers, the FMCSA Our Roads, Our SafetyⓇ campaign developed the toolkit to provide tips on staying focused behind the wheel and road safety refreshers. All materials are available for download to print and/or share. Please view […]
The U Drive. U Text. U Pay. high visibility enforcement (HVE) media campaign centers on aiding law enforcement officers in their efforts to keep texting and distracted drivers off the road. Distracted driving is a first offense in many States and continues to gain recognition across the nation as a deadly traffic safety epidemic. Find campaign materials here.
Distracted driving is a major contributor to crashes. In 2020, there were 3,142 lives lost to crashes involving distracted driving (Stewart, 2022). Countermeasures that aim to reduce distracted driving exist, such as laws, enforcement campaigns, outreach, and programs for adult and teen drivers (Venkatraman et al., 2021). However, these typically target the drivers themselves; few […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As distracted driving continues to plague our roads and kill people every day, state laws that are broadly worded to prohibit drivers from holding a cell phone under any circumstance appear to be effective in reducing rear-end crashes, according to a new research paper published today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). IIHS […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky behavior poses a danger to vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians and pedalcyclists. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention. Distraction occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task […]