New Baltimore Area Campaign Aims to Decrease Distracted Driving by Teens

Today the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) announces the launch of its Regional Highway Safety Campaign, an effort that aims to decrease the number of accidents, deaths and severe injuries caused by distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involve some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event. In those three seconds, a car traveling at 60 mph will travel 264 feet. Add one more second and the car would travel the length of a football field. In the Baltimore region alone, distracted driving accounted for over 500 fatalities and 95,000 injuries between 1997 and 2006.

The Regional Highway Safety Campaign complements the Maryland Strategic Highway Safety Plan by seeking to educate parents and their teens about the risks of distracted driving and how to best avoid those risks. The regional effort was initiated by BMC's Board of Directors: Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon, Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith, Carroll County Commissioner Dean Minnich, Harford County Executive David Craig and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman.

"The safety of each and every one of our residents is a top priority for the Baltimore region," said Howard County Executive, Ken Ulman, the BMC Chair. "Today's technological advances present more opportunities than ever for drivers to become distracted behind the wheel, which can result in devastating consequences. By educating parents and teenagers about the dangers of distracted driving, we encourage the practice of safe driving habits -- habits that will save lives."

Anything that distracts a driver from the primary task of operating a motor vehicle is unsafe. Distractions have traditionally included adjusting vehicle controls, personal grooming, eating, tuning the radio, talking with passengers, reading newspapers or maps and attending to children. Technology has created a new spectrum of distractions -- talking on cell phones, checking e-mail, texting, and using mp3 players and GPS navigation devices. For teens who haven't yet mastered driving, distractions create an additional level of risk. Imperfectly learned vehicle control skills, inexperience with anticipating and identifying hazards, and an increased willingness to take risks all contribute to the high crash rate of young drivers.

In its first phase, the Regional Highway Safety Campaign will focus on raising awareness of how parents of teen drivers can help curb accidents by setting rules and teaching by example. Because teens learn how to drive, in part, by watching their parents behind the wheel, parents have the opportunity to positively influence teen driving by avoiding actions that contribute to their own distracted driving. Moreover, setting and enforcing ground rules for their young drivers' car privileges -- such as no cell phone use, no peer passengers, and a curfew -- are all ways that parents can help keep their young drivers safe.

Other tips from BMC's Regional Highway Safety Campaign include:

-- Turn it off before you turn the key. Turn off all electronic devices that are potential distractions. This includes cell phones as well as hand held texting and email devices. If there is an emergency, pull over to the side of the road before making a call or sending a text or email message.

-- 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.

-- Keep it calm. 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.

"Distracted driving by teenagers is increasingly becoming a regional problem that we can't afford to ignore," said Larry W. Klimovitz, BMC's Executive Director. "BMC is working hard to improve the quality of life in the Baltimore region by making our roads safer."

For more information on BMC's Regional Highway Safety Campaign and for more tips on how to prevent distracted driving visit http://www.drivesafebaltimore.com.

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council is the organization of the region's elected executives who are committed to identifying regional interests and developing collaborative strategies, plans and programs which will improve the quality of life and economic vitality throughout the region.

BMC's Regional Highway Safety Campaign is an initiative of BMC's Board of Directors, in cooperation with the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board. The campaign's goal is to decrease the number of accidents, deaths and severe injuries caused by distracted drivers. It complements Maryland's Strategic Highway Safety Plan.