It’s a busy world. Multi-tasking, the need for information, and the desire to stay connected are strong forces in today’s society. These activities are a significant part of life for many Americans, overlapping with both work and play. It’s no surprise that the same activities can also distract our attention from operating a motor vehicle. Driving is by its nature a task of divided attention, and our ability to drive safely depends on how successfully we can pay attention to the driving effort. While experts agree distracted driving is underreported, the 3,331 deaths attributed to distraction-affected crashes in 2011 increased 1.9 percent (to 3,267) over distraction-affected fatalities in 2010, when traffic deaths overall declined 1.9 percent. Injuries related to distraction-affected crashes declined 7 percent (from 416,000 to 387,000) over the same period. Distracted driving is not a new threat to highway safety, but new technologies both in and outside the vehicle have forced policymakers to focus attention on this issue anew. A new priority safety program to address distracted driving was created in the recent surface transportation bill that authorizes the federal surface transportation programs — including highway safety programs — for Federal Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014. MAP-21, or Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, created Section 405(e): Distracted Driving, where 8.5% of Section 405 funds are earmarked for distracted driving incentive grants to encourage states to enact and enforce prohibitions on texting as well as bans of the use of all electronic devices for all drivers aged 18 and younger, plus additional requirements. States have made great strides in their efforts to combat distracted driving over the past few years. This new report is a compilation of these efforts. Highlights include the latest information on laws and law enforcement, public education efforts, partnerships with other organizations, and data collection efforts. (Author/publisher)
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