Distracted Driving Campaign Messages

What messages are we promoting?
What is distracted driving?
What can concerned parents do?
Tips to avoid 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. The Baltimore region also had a high percentage of young driver fatalities (over 500) and injuries (over 66,500) during the same 10-year period.
• In 2006, Maryland took the opportunity to improve its Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP) by convening a Traffic Safety Summit. Over 320 participants contributed, resulting in the Maryland Strategic Highways Safety Plan for 2006 – 2010, and the Choose Safety for Life campaign.
• The Baltimore Metropolitan Council’s (BMC) Regional Highway Safety Campaign complements this state-wide effort to reduce vehicle crashes, save lives and reduce severe injuries.
• BMC’s Regional Highway Safety Campaign is a regional public education effort to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while distracted and reduce resulting crashes.
• On June 11th, BMC’s Board of Directors -- 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 -- kicked off the Regional Highway Safety Campaign.
• BMC provides simple tips for parents and teens to prevent injuries and fatalities that can occur as a result of driving while distracted. These tips are available at www.drivesafebaltimore.com.

What is distracted driving?

• Distracted driving is multi-tasking when driving. This can include talking on a cell phone, checking e-mail, reading the newspaper, drinking coffee, putting on makeup, adjusting the radio, interacting with other passengers and more.
• For teens who haven’t yet mastered the rules of the road, distracted driving creates an additional level of risk. Text messaging, using hand-held games and listening devices and carrying additional passengers all contribute to distracted driving and increase a teen’s risk of causing an accident.
• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury among American teenagers, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths per year.

What Can Concerned Parents Do?

• Teens learn how to drive, in part, by watching their parents drive. Parents have the opportunity to positively influence their teen’s driving by avoiding actions that contribute to their own distracted driving, such as talking on a cell phone and eating or drinking.
• By setting and enforcing ground rules for their teen driver’s social life and car privileges, such as no cell phone use or peer passengers in the car, parents help decrease opportunities for distracted driving and keep their teen safe.

Tips to Avoid Distracted Driving

• 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.

For more information:

Russ Ulrich, rulrich@baltometro.org or 410-732-9575

Links within this web site:

Drive safe Baltimore

Background information

Radio spots

Press release


Links to other web sites:

Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan

Move It Program