april 2011
DESCRIPTION
Distraction. Distractions while driving cause accidents. Distractions affect the information you receive, and your reactions to it: They draw attention away from the driving task They delay recognition of safety threats They can impair effective control of the vehicle - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
April 2011
Distraction
• Minimise the sources of physical/visual/auditory distraction
• Plan your route, programme the GPS in advance• Switch the phone off and use your rest breaks• Get comfortable, adjust the seat/mirrors etc• Avoid drinks in vehicles
• Minimise the sources of mental distraction• Assess your mental state before you start
(alert?)• Get your brain in gear, focus on driving • Devote your full-time attention to the driving
task (part of the work activity)• Maintain your mental concentration
• Do a mental or verbal driving commentary to yourself, repeat periodically e.g. every 30 minutes, or when you notice you’ve become distracted
• Keep your eyes moving - actively scan for hazards and then analyse them – what could happen, how could it affect you, how should you react.
How to manage Distraction
• Cognitive – thinking about something other than the specifics of the current driving task
• Visual – rubbernecking or staring to get a better view of something or someone outside the vehicle
• Auditory – listening to a radio chat show, or a passenger
• Physical – taking hands off wheel, e.g. to adjust the heating, change radio station, take a drink of water
Types of Distraction
Distractions while driving cause accidents • Distractions affect the information you receive, and
your reactions to it: • They draw attention away from the driving task• They delay recognition of safety threats• They can impair effective control of the vehicle
• An insurance industry survey revealed that ~75% of all drivers engage in activities that take their attention away from the road
• Several studies indicate that distractions are a factor in more than 25% (possibly as many as 50%) of all vehicle accidents