| DWD: DRIVING WHILE DISTRACTED DRIVER TRAINING CLASS It seems most people are familiar with the initials DUI, meaning "driving under the influence" of drugs or alcohol. DWD, or "driving while distracted" is not as widely known, but appears to be quite a big problem on our roadways. Approximately 80% of drivers admit to multitasking while driving, to varying degrees.This includes everything from changing a radio station to eating, applying makeup, reading, shaving, and talking on the phone. According to a survey done by Nationwide Mutual Insurance, 59% of multitaskers don't consider themselves to be distracted. Bill Windsor, Nationwide's associate vice president of safety, thinks that Americans may not truly understand the dangers posed by 'driving while distracted.' Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of AAA's Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that driver distraction causes or contributes to 25 to 50% of traffic collisions. Although the majority of people surveyed said they've adjusted the radio or CD player, talked on the phone or eaten while driving, others reported more involved activites: - 19 percent sent text messages. - 12 percent put on or adjusted makeup. - 5 percent have read a magazine, book or newspaper The Internet survey interviewed Americans 18 and older who drive. Results were based on 1,200 responses of people from all parts of the country. If you're distracted for one and a half seconds at 65 mph, you have travelled approximately half the length of a football field. This is discussed in my defensive driver course "Learn To Drive And Survive." You can find it by clicking here A study released by the Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute states that a driver who looks away from the road for two or more seconds is almost twice as likely as an attentive driver to be involved in a crash or near-crash. Distracted driving probably will increase as more technology is introduced into vehicles. However, in fairness I would like to quote Leon James, a professor of traffic psychology at the University of Hawaii, who says multitasking itself is not necessarily distracting, and drivers need to train themselves to multitask without being distracted. Think of police officers, who have to talk on the phone and look at the screen while patrolling,and they get along just fine. It's much the same with taxi drivers, delivery drivers, and yes, driving instructors. As a driving instructor for more than 17 years I had to constantly look for addresses, check a map, make notes, etc. all without a mishap. So, although putting on makeup and sending text messages is not a very good way to drive, I believe if a person learns proper 'glance behavior' they can safely do some simple multitasking. By proper glance behavior I mean when to, for example, look at the radio dial, and for how long. After having said all of the above, I firmly believe that driving is a full time job, and that your mind and your eyes should be on the alert at all times. After all, you don't want a police officer pulling you over and saying "good afternoon, I saw you combing your hair, and I'm giving you a DWD citation." You will learn much more in my driving safety course "Learn To Drive And Survive" which can be found by clicking on the link below: http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/index.html
http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/driving_while_distracted.html
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