National AAOS campaign calls for end to distracted driving

Issue: May 2011

During the launch of a new campaign aimed at preventing distracted driving, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons released survey results which found that although 94% of American drivers believe that distracted driving is a problem, none of those surveyed considered their driving unsafe.

“Driving is one of the most important things we do in a day, and it requires our full attention,” Daniel J. Berry, MD, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) president, said during a press conference launching the Decide to Drive campaign. “But in this multitasking, quick-paced world, we are no longer in the habit of doing anything with 100% attention. That needs to change.”

Decide to drive

Berry cited estimates from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showing that 500,000 people are injured in distracted driving incidents each year. These distractions include tasks such as texting, eating and setting a car’s navigation system.

“Orthopedic surgeons have initiated this campaign because we are the medical doctors who treat the traumatic injuries and broken bones that often are the result of careless crashes,” Berry said. “These injuries are serious and life-changing, and many of them are preventable.”

The Decide to Drive campaign, developed by the AAOS, Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) and Auto Alliance, includes an educational website where users can also share stories about this issue, a television public service announcement showing a crash caused by a distracted driver, a school curriculum for fifth- and sixth-grade children, and radio and print ads.

Disconnect between actions, observations

A recent survey commissioned by the AAOS of 1,500 American drivers found that 83% of respondents reported that they drive safely, but believe that just 10% of other drivers do so. In addition, 20% of respondents noted they can perform other tasks while driving without compromising their driving ability. Berry said many drivers who experienced a near-accident due to their own distracted driving report that they will continue behaviors that caused them to swerve or slam on the brakes to avoid an accident.

“We’ve learned that we have more work to do to get to people to realize that the behaviors they engage in behind the wheel are more than small habits — they are distractions,” Berry said. “We’ve also learned that there is a disconnect between what many drivers report observing and what they report practicing. Finally, we’ve learned that anyone can be distracted behind the wheel regardless of age, gender or geography.”

Reference:
www.aaos.org

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