In the past decade, distracted driving has emerged as one of the most prominent global road-safety concerns. It is estimated that distraction is a factor in 20% to 30% of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) in North America, and, since 2006, distraction-related fatalities in Canada have increased 26%, while major injuries (resulting in persons being admitted to a hospital overnight for treatment or observation) have increased 14%. In 2012, national data in Canada revealed that distraction was a contributing factor in an estimated 23% of fatal and 27% of major injury crashes. Also of concern is that in 2014 at least 3 Canadian jurisdictions reported that the role of distraction in MVCs equaled or even exceeded that of impaired driving. The singular and combined efforts of many organizations, such as Drop It And Drive (DIAD) and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), have identified the need for partnerships, shared information, and access to interpretable research findings to guide decision making and to identify effective strategies to reduce, if not eliminate, preventable injuries/fatalities from clistracted driving, including whiplash-associated disorders. This editorial describes activities in 5 target areas identified in our environmental scan in Canada: (1) provincial/territorial government strategies, (2) enforcement, (3) data collection and measurement, (4) awareness campaigns, and (5) legislation. The authors will also reinforce the potential benefits of seeking and establishing meaningful interdisciplinary partnerships to reduce distracted driving across the globe. Finally, this editorial provides an example of how these interdisciplinary partnerships can help reduce preventable, life-altering injuries/deaths caused by clistracted driving. (Author/publisher)
Abstract