Drive Safe Baltimore
Regional Highway Safety CampaignsStreet Smart Campaign
Thirty-four percent of all pedestrian and bicycle crashes in Maryland occur in Baltimore City. The Baltimore metropolitan region averages 1,700 pedestrian and 500 bicycle crashes each year, resulting in an average of 52 fatalities per year. The 2007 Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) proposed the development of a public information, education and awareness campaign to address pedestrian and bicycle safety. The SHSP specifically identified a "Street Smart" campaign, as well as the coordination necessary to provide targeted pedestrian enforcement operations by the end of FY 2010.
Distracted Driving Campaign
Initiated by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council's Board of Directors, the Regional Highway Safety Campaign aims to decrease the number of accidents, deaths and severe injuries in our area caused by distracted driving. It complements the Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan by educating parents and their teens about the risks of multi-tasking when driving and how to best avoid those risks.
The Dangers of Distracted Driving
It is estimated that 3 million crashes occur annually as a result of distracted drivers (American Automobile Association). In the Baltimore region, distracted driving accounted for over 500 fatalities and 95,000 injuries during the 10-year period between 1997 and 2006. BMC’s Regional Traffic Safety Distracted Driving Campaign is a public education effort to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and reduce accidents, deaths and severe injuries that result from distracted driving. This campaign will focus education efforts on teen drivers and their parents because young drivers are the most at risk when driving with distractions.
Program Supporters
The Regional Traffic Safety Distracted Driving Campaign is supported by BMC and its Board of elected executives including of Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon, Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich, Harford County Executive David Craig and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. The campaign was developed in response to Maryland’s efforts to improve traffic safety through its Strategic Highway Safety Plan and resulting programs, which include the Choose Safety for Life campaign.
Facts and Statistics
Why Teens?
Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 – 20 year olds, an age group that is increasingly using devices that may contribute to distracted driving, such as cell phones, mp3 players and other hand-held devices.
- Between 1995 and 2004, 406 people in Maryland died in teen driver crashes. Of those killed, 156 were the teen drivers themselves (AAA).
- In 2006, there were 51 distracted driving-related fatalities in Maryland. (National Study Center for Trauma & EMS)
- In 2006, there were 27,830 distracted-driving-related crashes resulting in the injury of 14,177 people.(National Study Center for Trauma & EMS)
- According to a Virginia Tech and National Highway Transportation Safety Administration study, distracted drivers accounted for 80% of the crashes in their study and 18 to 20 year-olds were 4 times more likely to be involved in accidents.(NHTSA and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)
- Reaching for a moving object increases the risk of a crash or near-crash by 9 times; looking at an external object by 3.7 times; reading by 3 times; applying makeup by 3 times; dialing a hand-held device (typically a cell phone) by almost 3 times; and talking or listening on a hand-held device by 1.3 times. (NHSTA and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute)
- According to the National Highway Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year-olds, accounting for 40% of all teen deaths.
- While teens make up only 10% of the U.S. population, they account for 14% of all crash fatalities. (NHSTA)
- Mile for mile, teenagers are involved in 3 times as many fatal crashes as all other drivers. (NHSTA)
- About 6 of every 10 teenage passenger deaths (59%) during 2003 occurred in crashes with a teen driver. (NHSTA) (pdf)
- Studies show nighttime driving restrictions typically are associated with crash reductions of 50 to 60 percent during the restricted hours. (IIHS) (pdf)
- Crash risk for teenage drivers increases incrementally with 1, 2, or 3 or more passengers. With 3 or more, fatal crash risk is about 3 times higher than when a beginner is driving alone. About two-thirds of all crash deaths of teens that involve 16-year old drivers occur when the beginners were driving with teen passengers.(IIHS) (pdf)
- Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event. (NHTSA)
- Graduated driver licensing programs reduce the incidence of fatal crashes of 16-year olds drivers by an average of 11 percent. The most comprehensive programs cause a 20 percent reduction in fatal crashes involving 16-year old drivers. (Johns Hopkins)
Why Parents?
Statistics show that laws, and rules set by parents, influence teen driving. Although Maryland has a Graduated Drivers License program, parents can also enforce those rules at home and enact additional rules such as not allowing cell phones, texting, or peer passengers in the car. Parents can also influence their teens by acting as a good example. The following is a list of actions parents can take to positively influence their teen drivers.
- Put down your cell phone. Wait to make calls and don’t pick up incoming calls while driving. Cell phone distractions also include checking messages and texting. If there is an emergency, pull over to the side of the road before making a call.
- Avoid eating while driving. Take the time to eat before or after your drive, go into the restaurant to eat or pull over somewhere safe.
- Use your car’s audio system wisely. Keep the volume at a level that is not distracting and allows you to hear sirens on emergency vehicles. Change the station, CD or tape only when the car is not moving.
- Pre-set your electronics. If you are using a GPS or DVD system, set it before you leave or pull over to a safe spot to enter data or adjust settings.
- If other passengers become too loud, ask them to keep it down so you can concentrate on driving safely.
- Set family rules. Make sure all family members know what the rules are for driving without distractions and what the consequences are for breaking those rules. In addition to the tips above, set curfews and passenger limits.
- Practice Maryland’s rules. Maryland’s Graduated Driver License laws and restrictions include a number of rules teen drivers must follow. Know the rules on unsupervised driving, curfews, and passenger limitations, and enforce them.
Links within this web site:
Background information
Campaign messages
Radio spots
Press release
Links to other web sites:
Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company (where campaign was launched)
Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan
Move It Program
Last Updated: 09/14/2009