ROAD SAFETY
TRANING
Millions of People are Talking
While Driving
• 11% of drivers at any point during
the day are on cell phones
• 81% of drivers admit to talking on
cell phone while driving:
How Cell Phones Distract
• Visual – Eyes off road
• Mechanical – Hands off wheel
• Cognitive – Mind off driving
• CHALLENGE: Drivers don’t understand or
realize that talking on a cell phone distracts the
brain and takes focus away from the primary task
of driving.
Multitasking: A Brain Drain
• Multitasking for the brain
is a myth
• Human brains do not perform two tasks at same time
– Brain handles tasks sequentially
– Brain switches between one task and another
Multitasking: A Brain Drain
Brain engages in a constant process to:
1. Select information brain will attend to
2. Process information
3. Encode to create memory
4. Store information
It must also:
5. Retrieve
6. Execute or act on information
When brain is overloaded these steps are affected
Multitasking: A Brain Drain
Encoding Stage
• Brain filters information due to overload
• Drivers not aware of information filtered out
• Information does not get into memory
• Drivers miss critical information on potential
hazards
Multitasking: A Brain Drain
• Brain juggles tasks, focus and attention
• Brain switches between primary and secondary tasks
• Inattention blindness
– When people do 2 cognitively complex tasks (driving and
using a cell phone), causing brain to shift focus
• Bottleneck
– Different regions of brain must pull from a shared and
limited resource for unrelated tasks
Inattention Blindness
• A type of cognitive distraction
– “looking” but not “seeing”
A narrowed scope-
Where drivers not using a Where drivers using a
cell phone looked. cell phone looked.
Multitasking:
Impairs Performance
• Driving involves a more complex set of tasks than walking:
– Visual
– Manual
– Cognitive
– Auditory
• A driver’s job is to watch for hazards, but this cannot be done
when brain is overloaded
Cell Phone: Driver Risks
• Inattention blindness
• Slower reaction/response times
• Problems staying in lane
More than 1.6 million crashes are
caused by cell phone use and texting
while driving each year.
Defensive Driving
• In all cases, maintain traffic about you,
checking side and rear view mirrors every 5
seconds.
– Be alert
– Be aware
– Be prepared
– No surprises
Defensive Driving
• Illness
– Lower attention level
– Slower response time.
– Concentration on driving less acute.
– Medications to alleviate symptoms affect mental
functions.
Defensive Driving
To compensate for illness
• If you are not feeling well, don't drive.
• If you must drive, be especially cautious.
• Don't drive long distances, if possible.
• If you are taking medication, know the side effects
and potential affects on driving ability. Do not
drive if the prescription advises against it.
Defensive Driving
• Fatigue and drowsiness
– Fatigue - a weakness or weariness resulting from
physical exertion or prolonged stress.
• both physical and mental (psychological)
– Drowsiness - a state of lowered consciousness,
reduced alertness, and dulled perception.
Defensive Driving
• Defenses for fatigue and drowsiness
– Recognize the characteristics of fatigue and
drowsiness.
– Allow enough time for travel and rest periodically.
– Take rest breaks.
– Adjust the seat and use firm pillows to support
your back.
– Open the window for fresh air.
– Listen to the radio.
Defensive Driving
• If you are the driver, you will be more likely to
become drowsy if passengers are sleeping.
– Ask the person in the passenger seat to stay
awake and talk with you to keep you alert.
• Psychological Conditions
– Stress
– Emotions
– Attitude
Defensive Driving
• Stress
– Reduces your concentration on the driving task.
– Creates mental fatigue slowing reaction time.
– Causes erratic or irrational maneuvers.
– Causes intolerance of other drivers.
• Attitude
– Aggressiveness (Me-first)
– Inattentiveness
Defensive Driving
• Emotions
– Any strong emotion, even positive ones, can affect
driving.
– Worrying can cause the driver to be preoccupied
with the problems, not driving.
– Anger can cause impatience and intolerance of
other drivers.
– Positive emotions, like a job promotion or raise, can
result in mental distraction, causing the driver to be
unaware of the surrounding traffic environment.
Defensive Driving
5 characteristics of a defensive driver
– Knowledge
– Alertness
– Foresight
– Good judgment
– Skill
Defensive Driving
• Knowledge
– Knowing the traffic laws.
– Knowing how to avoid a collision.
– Knowing how to recognize hazards.
– Knowing how to act correctly in time
• Alertness
– Aware of how our own physical or mental condition could
affect driving.
– 100% of our attention. Staying alert to the traffic situation by
• checking your mirrors, rearview and side, about every five seconds.
Defensive Driving
• Foresight
– The ability to anticipate and prepare for hazards.
– Sizing up traffic situation as far ahead as possible.
– Anticipating hazards that are likely to develop.
– Deciding whether changes in the driving situation will be a
threat to your safety.
• There are two kinds of foresight:
– Immediate.
• Scanning the road ahead is an example of immediate foresight.
– Long-range.
• Wearing a safety belt is another example of long-range foresight.
Defensive Driving
• Good judgment
– Looking for alternatives in any traffic situation.
– In control of their behavior.
– Passing when it is safe.
– Not making risky maneuvers.
– Sometimes those actions and choices are limited, but good
judgment means using good sense and intuition to choose
wisely and quickly.
• Skill
– The ability to operate a vehicle properly and safely.
– There is only one reliable substitute….
.
MANDATORY SIGNS
.
THANK YOU
