Shelley Forney Advocate For Cell Free Driving

Who I am

Mission Support victims of cell phone

distracted driving and families of victims

Increase public awareness of the dangers of distracted driving

Vision Prevent injuries and save

lives by eliminating cell phone use while driving.

• NO MORE dangerous than putting on makeup, eating fast food, tuning your radio or reading a map while driving.

• Most people can multi-task while driving.

• Hands-free phones are safe to use while driving

• It’s no more dangerous than talking to a passenger. Source- ©National Safety Council 2012,

Distraction.gov-Get the Facts, AAA Foundation

CBC News Website

• Drivers talking on hand-held or hands-free devices increase their risk of a crash 2-4 times

• Drivers text messaging increase their risk of a crash by 8 times

• Distractions can cause significant impairments to driving:

• Suppress brain activity

• Increase the amount of time it takes to react

• Decrease visual scanning of the driving environment

Sources- AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, Drews- Human Factors, NHTSA-Crash Avoidance, McEvoy-British Medical Journal, Redelmeier-New England Journal of Medicine

Source-NHTSA, National Safety Council: Cell Phone Crash Estimate Model

• In 2015 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads and 4.4 million were seriously injured. NSC

shares that 2015 saw the largest year-over-year motor vehicle death increase in 50 years.

• An estimated 1 in 4 car crashes involve cell phone use

• Leading cause of death for people 1 to 35

• A texting driver is more prone to crash than a driver with a .08 blood alcohol

Source-AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Distracted.driving.nsc.org, IHS Automotive -2014

Automotive infotainment systems – • Predicted to grow from 6.9 million vehicles on the road in 2014 to 370 million by

2020 • Voice-to-Text features require drivers to look at the translated messages to

correct and is more distracting than typing. • Connected navigation, Multimedia streaming, Social media and In-car Wi-Fi

hotspots are all distracting drivers causing increased crash risk. • Drivers believe they are making the safe choice by using a hands-free device, it’s

just not true. Your brain remains distracted by the conversation.

Visual – Eyes off road

Mechanical – Hands off wheel

Cognitive – Mind off driving

Source: David Strayer, Cognitive Neuroscientist Univ. of Utah

Inattention Blindness

What is the Risk?

“Look” but don’t “see”

Drivers fail to see what is around them

Don’t remember objects they look at

Drivers miss traffic signals, signs, exit ramps

Source: David Strayer, Cognitive Neuroscientist Univ. of Utah

Multitasking is a myth

• Human brains do not perform two tasks at same time

• Brain handles tasks one after another

• Switching between tasks takes time

• Cost in reaction time

Source: David Strayer, Cognitive Neuroscientist Univ. of Utah

Joseph Perry Teater (Apr 4th 1991 to Jan 20th 2004)

Spring Lake, MI

• 7th Grader

• 20 yr. old driver

• Talking on cell phone

• Looking out window

• Ran red light

• Passing 4 stopped cars & a school bus

Erica Leanne Forney Aug 25, 1999 - Nov 27, 2008

Fort Collins, CO

• 9 years old

• 36 yr. old driver

• Finishing a call

This is the last picture taken of my family with Erica (in the front in blue) 2008

My family now (Erica in a picture frame beside us). Her life was taken from her by one cell phone call

• Lead by example: don’t call or text while driving

• Change your outgoing message on your phone saying your “driving or are

unavailable”

• Don’t text/call others when you know they are driving

• Speak up if the driver in your car is distracted by their phone

• Spread the word about the dangers of distracted driving

Shelley Forney Speaker & Advocate For Cell Free Driving

Phone: (970) 691-5997 Email: shelleyfor@msn.com