Vehicle Driver Safety

Mobile Awareness Releases Safetyvoice™ - Voice-enabled Motor Vehicle Accident Prevention Solution

2006-12-13T19:50:00.000-05:00

CLEVELAND, OH - Mobile Awareness™, a provider of leading-edge transportation safety products, today announced the release of a new speech-enunciating vehicle back-up warning alarm…SafetyVOICE™.

SafetyVOICE™ is a commercial grade reverse back-up alerting device designed to protect, individuals on foot, from injuries and fatalities resulting from a vehicle's blind spot. Activated by placing a vehicle transmission in reverse, the system delivers human voice commands, coupled with a piercing electronic alarm. To pedestrians in proximity to the rear of a vehicle, the sound of human speech stating "please stand clear!" is readily recognized, understood and more likely reacted to than a typical back-up beeping alarm.

SafetyVOICE™ was designed to be a more effective method of preventing non-traffic pedestrian injuries and deaths that can occur around commercial trucks, delivery vans, waste management and utility vehicles, emergency vehicles, as well as school buses. The typical beeping sounds currently found on many reverse backing devices are too often ignored or not recognized, especially by young children. To effectively capture the attention of individuals and heighten pedestrian awareness, speech-enunciating technology has been employed to alert pedestrians when a vehicle is preparing for rearward motion.

Developed as an enhancement to object detection systems such as rear view cameras and sonar backing sensors, SafetyVOICE™ is a rugged, self-contained product manufactured from durable high-grade materials. "We wanted to provide a low cost, yet effective countermeasure to back-up accidents that could be utilized in combination with other reverse back-up accident prevention solutions," says Gary Rothstein, president of Mobile Awareness. "With the latest research finding that, no single back-up safety device is entirely full proof in preventing all types of backing accidents; a product that would aid both the vehicle driver and the unknowing pedestrian could provide significant benefit."

Backing accidents occur every 1.6 minutes in the United States, with pedestrian injuries accounting for 35%–40% of motor vehicle deaths in children. In November 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Nicole R. Nason called for a comprehensive solution to the tragic problem of children who are backed over by motor vehicles. Rothstein adds, "Mobile Awareness is committed to that safety goal, we applaud the NHTSA for making this issue the priority it must be if we are truly going to reduce the number of vehicle related fatalities."

Cleveland, Ohio based Mobile Awareness designs and markets leading-edge transportation safety products. The company provides accident prevention solutions for commercial transportation professionals and individuals who want to keep their employees, family members and vehicles protected. Learn more by signing up for free monthly e-newsletter containing important safety information and unique product solutions. For more information, please contact Mobile Awareness (Toll Free): 866-653-5036 or visit http://www.mobileawareness.com/.

Transportation Safety Products Provider MobileAwareness.com Announces Affiliation with Occupational Athletics

2006-12-01T22:20:00.000-05:00

CLEVELAND, OH – November 28, 2006 - Mobile Awareness™, a provider of leading-edge transportation safety products, today announced an agreement to supply products from Occupational Athletics Health and Safety Systems.

Based in Harrisburg, PA, Occupational Athletics™ designs human maintenance systems to help ease the healthcare crisis of American workers. Unlike traditional wellness programs, Occupational Athletics Health and Safety Systems’ products provide an interactive, day-by-day, step-by-step, entertaining yet educational roadmap for transportation professionals to steer their way to a healthier lifestyle and increased safety, on and off the road. The systems are driven by the idea that we can all be athletes in life…just as professional athletes must develop specific skills in order to “play” at their best, so do professional truck and bus drivers.

“The Systems are all about enhancing the well-being of individuals and employees that spend a great deal of time driving a motor vehicle. Their proactive focus on prevention and wellness is a revolutionary approach to reducing employee injuries, illnesses and vehicle accidents in the transportation industry.” says Gary Rothstein, president of Mobile Awareness.

The Road and Bus Athlete Interactive Health and Safety Systems consist of Gamebooks with daily health and safety tips, goals, and “motor”vators and include 2 CD’s with a roundtable discussion of health and safety issues, stretch card, quarterly survey cards and nutrition guide in the back. Optional training materials and implementation/incentive ideas are also available. Both the Road and Bus Athlete Systems are designed to help drivers make lifestyle changes, prevent absenteeism and driver turnover, leading to improvements in driver morale and company productivity. From the “kickoff” to the “final goal” scored, drivers will become winners in the “game of life”.

“Our customers are looking for ways to reduce expenditures, boost driver retention and manage continuously increasing health care costs. Occupational Athletics gives us a practical and affordable solution our customers can utilize to run a truly successful safety and wellness program.” adds Rothstein.

Occupational Athletics Health and Safety Systems’ products have been nationally endorsed by the North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) and the Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA).

About Mobile Awareness™
Cleveland, Ohio based Mobile Awareness designs and markets leading-edge transportation safety products. The company provides accident prevention solutions for commercial transportation professionals and individuals who want to keep their employees, family members and vehicles protected. Sign up for a free monthly e-newsletter containing important safety information and unique product solutions. For more information, please contact Mobile Awareness (Toll Free): 866-653-5036 or visit www.MobileAwareness.com.

2006-11-25T12:56:00.000-05:00

Technorati Profile

Mobile Awareness and Visor-View Announce Transportation Safety Products Joint Venture

2006-11-11T12:12:00.000-05:00

CLEVELAND, OH - November 10, 2006 - Mobile Awareness, a provider of leading-edge transportation safety products, announced today that it has signed an agreement with motor vehicle camera-based technology company, Visor-View, Inc. The accord confirms Mobile Awareness as a Visor-View Master Distributor and outlines plans for the two companies to co-develop a variety of vehicle safety solutions.

Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Visor-View, Inc. is a leading developer of motor vehicle safety camera systems. Offering a complete line of innovative camera products specifically designed to meet the ruggedized requirements of the transportation industry, at a cost affordable for many consumer applications. With an initial focus on rear-view cameras, the systems also address multiple applications including forward viewing and in-vehicle monitoring. Visor-View`s products are currently in use in commercial trucks, school buses, emergency medical service vehicles (EMS), police & firefighter vehicles, recreational vehicles (RV`s) and individual SUV`s.

"We are eager to expand our working relationship with such an enthusiastic vehicle safety equipment supplier as Visor-View," says Gary Rothstein, president of Mobile Awareness. "Their focus on preventing injuries, fatalities and material lose, resulting from backing accidents, is something both our companies share". Currently Visor-View, Inc. offers an extensive line of rugged single or dual camera configurations, waterproof and low light backup cameras, LCD color monitors and backup camera interfacing devices for factory installed navigation systems. Rothstein adds, "With this extensive product offering, we now have a cost-effective source to address our broad customer requirements including applications for school buses, delivery vans and large commercial trucks."

Linda Roldan, president of Visor-View states, "Over the past few years, Visor-View`s product line has been refined and improved as we utilized vital feedback from our customers. This led us to develop a product offering that is highly rugged, discrete and extremely flexible while maintaining our price advantage. Now as we complete our third year, we are extremely excited to be expanding our relationship with Mobile Awareness, allowing both our companies to offer a greater degree of service and expertise to our customers."

About Mobile Awareness
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Mobile Awareness designs, develops and markets leading-edge transportation safety products. The company provides accident prevention solutions for commercial transportation professionals and individuals who want to keep their employees, family members and vehicles protected. Sign up for their free monthly e-newsletter containing important safety information and unique product solutions. For more information, please contact Mobile Awareness, Toll Free: 866-653-5036 or visit
http://www.mobileawareness.com/.

About Visor-View®
Headquartered in Ballwin, Missouri, Visor-View is a leading supplier of camera-based vehicle safety products. With over 70 years of import/export expertise, the company has unique access to leading-edge technologies in video imaging and camera-based systems. After scouring the world for the most advanced video components, they developed the Visor-View line of motor vehicle safety camera systems. All products are stock in their St. Louis warehouse and ready for immediate shipment. For more information, please contact Visor-View Inc. Toll Free: 866-922-6800 or visit http://www.visorview.com/.

Safe Tests

2006-10-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

Safe Tests

Limit Company Liability - Start a Vehicle Accident Prevention Program

2006-10-26T06:53:00.000-05:00

Motor vehicle crashes cost US employers over $60 billion annually in medical costs, legal expenditure, property damage, and lost productivity. While costs by state and Industry vary, on-the-job crash injuries (fatal and non-fatal) amount to about 6.5 percent of all crash injuries. As a result, the cost of workers’ compensation, Social Security benefits, health and disability insurance continues to rise. An investment in a comprehensive motor vehicle accident prevention program can be a winning approach to reducing these expenses and an effective tool for helping limit your company`s liability exposure.

Consider the Savings

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report entitled “The Economic Burden of Traffic Crashes on Employers” (request a free copy of the 35-page report on the author`s web site), the average crash costs an employer $16,500. An employee that has an on-the-job crash resulting in an injury, costs their employer $74,000. In the case of a fatality, costs often go beyond $500,000. Additionally, off-the-job crashes not only affect individual employees, they are costly to the company as well. The aforementioned NHTSA report had this to say about potential financial benefits, “Traffic safety programs are an alternative to reduce health care expenses to employers without reducing the benefits offered to employees. Protecting employees from motor vehicle crash injury can be a profitable investment of time and resources”. Companies that utilize a crash avoidance program often realize immediate benefits due to the positive return-on-investment (ROI) from a well-designed safety agenda. Consider the findings of Liberty Mutual Insurance Company’s report entitled “Executive Survey of Workplace Safety”. In their study, they found approximately 61 percent of questioned business executives think their companies receive an ROI of $3.00 or more for every $1.00 spent on improving worker safety.

Protecting Valuable Assets

Most well informed employers understand their employees are critical to the success of their business. Showing a commitment to protecting the safety and welfare of valuable workers can go a long way to help improve employee work satisfaction and retention. If your company happens to be a professional transportation or delivery business, the benefit can be even greater. With the extreme shortage of qualified truck drivers, focusing on employee wellbeing can aid in the reduction of a major cost and time encumbrance…truck driver turnover.

“The costs associated with hiring and training new drivers is much better spent on furthering the safety and wellness of our employees’, noted Mark W. Kadlec, VP of Human Resources & Safety at Distribution Technologies, Inc. (www.disttech.com). Headquartered in Newbury, Ohio this bulk transport company is an example of a professional carrier benefiting from a highly focused vehicle safety regimen. Consistently recognized by the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) for operating one of the country`s safest fleets, DistTech has received the prestigious NTTC Outstanding Performance Trophy six times. Kadlec furthers, “Documenting procedures, on-going safety training and the use of advanced technology allowed DistTech to improve its safety record for 15 consecutive years. Investing in state of the art driver fatigue monitors and video camera systems to alert our drivers of a potential collision, are just two examples of how we protect our employees, our assets and our customers.”

Establishing an Accident Prevention Program

Depending on the size and scope of your organization, there are several things to think about in order to best accomplish your safety objectives. Obviously, for any program to be a success, it has to be committed to, and supported by company management. Once the commitment is made, consider the following measures as a part of your complete risk reduction plan:

1) Setting Goals, Documenting Procedures
Consider appointing a program manager with the task of overseeing the safety initiatives, including vehicle add-on product evaluation and written company policies specific to vehicle safety. Documenting the goals, as well as the results, should be an integral part of the program. To maximize results, share pertinent information with the employees that drive either a company owned or personal vehicle used for company-related work. You may wish to instigate both an incentive and a disciplinary action program to raise the awareness of everyone involved. Once you begin to realize measurable improvements, consider rewarding individuals for their personal commitment to improving the company’s safety.

For those organizations that do not participate in any formal regulatory compliance, consider drafting key documents of your own, such as a written driver agreement, a vehicle inspection and maintenance handbook, along with an accident reporting and investigation procedure. Utilizing this documented information can help minimize further liability; be sure to amend your company policy as necessary to help eliminate reoccurring incidents.

2) Employing Aftermarket Safety Technology
Currently there are several aftermarket products available to aid drivers in the safe operation of their vehicles, many of which are cost-effective and easy to install on most trucks, vans, SUV’s and cars. While it is beyond the scope of this article to address the broad array of safety solutions available today, you might consider learning more about the following:

a) Sensor Based Obstacle Detection: Backing-up sensors utilizing Doppler radar technology are extremely reliable and impervious to the affects of whether. While these devices can be more costly than the parking aid sonar-based products, they are far superior in performance for safety applications.

b) Camera Based Video Systems: Today`s camera technology is extremely effective in giving visibility to blind spots that are often impossible for the driver to see. A common application is to monitor the rear of the vehicle via a color LCD display, helping to prevent reverse backing accidents.

c) Lane Departure Warning (LDW): Often camera based, these devices are most effective when used on highways and long distance driving. If the driver becomes distracted or fatigued, a warning goes off if they begin to drift into another lane.

3) Safety Education & Training
Launching your program with an initial training is an effective way to get a running start. Take the opportunity to impart your company`s safety goals, employee expectations and reasons why everyone can benefit through active participation. Employee drivers should receive ongoing training; also consider offering access to an internet based driver-training course. In addition, think about adding vehicle safety content to your company newsletter, furthering education and continuously reminding employees that safety is not a part time job.

Understanding the financial burden associated with motor vehicle crashes makes for a compelling case to take action to reduce the impact. It is a known fact that many traffic crashes are avoidable; investing in a company wide motor vehicle safety program can help save lives and reduce costs, ultimately providing benefits that are hard to ignore.

Gary Rothstein
Mobile Awareness
Copyright 2006

Mobile Awareness Announces Master Distributorship Agreement With ATWEC Technologies

2006-10-09T18:30:00.000-05:00

Published: Mon, 09 Oct 2006

CLEVELAND, OH – Mobile Awareness™, a provider of leading-edge transportation safety products, announced today that it has signed a Master Distributor agreement with ATWEC Technologies, Inc. (ATWT) (http://www.ATWEC.com).

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Atwec Technologies, Inc. designs unique safety solutions specifically for the transportation industry. With a primary focus on pre-school, day-care and school bus safety products, ATWEC addresses a major need in the child-transport industry. Through the development of their unique KiddieSystem™ family of voice-enhanced enunciating safety solutions, many common dangers associated with child transportation can now be eliminated. ATWEC Technologies, Inc. enables schools to transport day-care, preschool and elementary children safely, without the possibility of having a child forgotten on any vehicle. With parents and schools now demanding these types of increased safety measures, the KiddieSystem™ solution is a natural fit for the transportation safety products available at Mobile Awareness.

“We are excited to be affiliated with such a dedicated safety equipment manufacturer as ATWEC Technologies.,” says Gary Rothstein, president of Mobile Awareness. "Their focus on saving lives and helping schools reduce risk is something we have a high regard for.” Rothstein adds, “Currently ATWEC Technologies, Inc. manufactures three products (KiddieVoice™, KiddieAlert™, KiddieCross Guard™) exclusively designed to protect young passengers, providing our child transport customers with a much needed solution.”

Additionally, ATWEC is releasing new products geared toward Commercial Trucks, Utility, Police, EMS, Fire and Rescue vehicles. "Their technology is being applied to help prevent the horrific number of deaths and injuries caused from vehicle backing accidents. These transportation safety products add another dimension of protection to our Rear View Camera and Radar Backing Sensor product offerings.'', furthers Rothstein. "With the inclusion of ATWEC Technologies products, our backing-up accident prevention offering is next to none. Adding voice command technology gives us the broadest offering of vehicle reversing safety technologies on the market today."

About Mobile Awareness
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Mobile Awareness™ designs, develops and markets leading-edge personal and in-vehicle mobile products that help ensure everyday safety. The company provides accident prevention solutions for commercial transportation professionals and individuals who want to keep their employees, family members and vehicles protected. Those interested are welcome to sign-up for a free monthly e-newsletter containing important safety information and unique product solutions. For more information, please contact 866-653-5036 or visit www.MobileAwareness.com

In-Vehicle Cell Phone Use - Assessing Accident Risk

2006-09-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Mobile phone use in motor vehicles has increased at a remarkable rate over the past 15 years. Yet it is undeniable that utilizing a cell phone while driving can affect driver performance as it relates to the overall safe operation of a vehicle. There are a number of things to consider in deciding whether the trade off in convenience is worth the potential risks associated with the distraction created by a cell phone. Given the fact that the individual driver (and/or business owner) ultimately pays for the resulting consequences associated with an auto or truck accident (financial, emotional and physical lose); it is prudent to seek out relevant and reliable information in making a decision. In doing so, consider the source, as well as the possible motivation behind the information provider.

Source: US Legislation
In the United States, there are currently no federal laws prohibiting driving while using a cell phone. In an earnest attempt to find a solution, some states (New Jersey, New York, the District of Columbia, Connecticut and pending in California) have passed laws barring hand-held cell phone use while driving. Typical fines range from $50 to $100 for drivers caught using a hand-held device. While these lawmakers have the public's best interest at heart by levying fines, not all entities weighing in on this subject are likely to have the same incentive.

Source: Manufacturer Research
As the result of an independent study (found on their web site in the form of a press release), Plantronics, a manufacturer of headsets states, "71% of drivers steer more accurately when using a headset with a mobile phone". They point out that the study was to discover if a person using a mobile phone improves driving if he or she uses a headset. Stephen Wilcox, Ph.D., Principal of Design Science (independent research firm) states, "Driving with both hands on the wheel is the safest option for motorists who use mobile phones, and headsets are tools to enable that improvement.” Considering the source, is this statement characteristic of scientific research? Is it objective and free of marketing bias? Could it confuse individuals into thinking that cell phones are safe as long as you are hands-free? Additionally, found toward the end of the press release, is a comment by a senior director of product marketing. Beth Johnson states, "It's important to keep in mind that our study is not intended to address the issue of whether or not it is safe to talk on a mobile phone while driving, but rather what type of technology is safest for drivers to use while talking on their mobile phones". They also state their intent is to “educate drivers on options for using mobile phones comfortably and responsibly while driving". Given that the goal is safety education, is this research responsibly comprehensive to consider it a relevant and reliable source?

Surely, as you go about your own assessment the idea of freeing up both hands to control the steering wheel is a logical consideration. If a driver focuses exclusively on driving the vehicle, then two hands on the wheel is better than one. Unfortunately, this seemingly sensible approach can lead to a false sense of driver security (possibly increasing crash risk) as noted in various reports (http://www.vcu.edu/cppweb/tstc/reports/reports.html) by the Crash Investigation Team at Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Public Safety. Their findings illustrated that the cognitive resources required to carry on a phone conversation are equivalent to those necessary to drive. This is an important concern given VCU’s history of transportation safety research, as well as other studies concluding this behavior (carrying on a phone conversation while driving), reduces both driver reaction time and driver attentiveness, especially as they relate to braking.

Unlike a computer, humans have a limited capacity to process simultaneous information. If the software on your computer seems to slow down, you might consider increasing the memory or processor speed to compensate for delays resulting from an overload in computing capacity. We as humans have a similar limitation when it comes to processing too much information, but unlike computers, our resources are somewhat fixed. Given the inherent delays in our own thought response time when faced with increased load factors, is it practical or safe to hold a cell phone conversation while driving a motor vehicle?

Source: Government Transportation Safety Research
The US government employs many of the top transportation safety experts and funds a major portion of the world's accident prevention research. Given the effects traffic accidents and related congestion have on US productivity, accident reduction is a top priority. Considering that distracted driving accounted for at least 6.4 percent of crash fatalities in 2004 (U.S. Department of Transportation), many researchers are looking closely at the distinguishing distraction caused by cell phone use in vehicles. Furthermore, of the many potential distractions in a vehicle, cell phones are considered equally or more dangerous than the other known distractions such as eating, reading a map or grooming while operating a motor vehicle. In light of the ongoing research for, and by, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.gov) we should at least consider their policy on using cell phones while driving that states “The primary responsibility of the driver is to operate a motor vehicle safely. The task of driving requires full attention and focus. Cell phone use can distract drivers from this task, risking harm to themselves and others. Therefore, the safest course of action is to refrain from using a cell phone while driving.”

Source: Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA)
According to the CTIA, there are currently more than 218 million subscribed cell phone users as of August 2006 (compared to some 4.3 million in 1990). Based on the extraordinary growth of cellular phone industry and the CTIA's advisory role, it may be of value to think about their point of view on this topic. In doing so, you might consider a document found on the CTIA's web site, entitled "SafeDrivingTalkingPoints2" (created June 6, 2006) that states "But for some reason, legislative efforts to prevent driver distractions have been narrowly focused on wireless phone use. According to government statistics and respected research studies, this approach is well off point." Consider that, there are more than 220 million vehicles on the road and a similar number of cell phones subscribers. Based on the amount of time customers might potentially spend using their cell phones in vehicles, we would hope to find the CTIA an objective source. Given the magnitude of the revenue at stake, is a greater degree of scrutiny in order here? Would the CTIA hold a different position if they were liable, in part, for distracted vehicle accidents?

Source: Leading Universities & Independent Researchers
While there are a number of valuable studies on this subject, the following are extensive research projects provided by highly accredited organizations:

1) Virginia Tech Transportation Institute researchers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tracked 100 cars and their drivers for a year; they discovered that talking on cell phones caused more crashes, near-crashes and other incidents than other distractions (100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, April 2006).

2) University of Utah researchers determined that motorists on the blood-alcohol threshold of being legally drunk were able to drive better than sober cell phone using drivers. A key researcher and author in this field, Psychology Professor David Strayer notes, “Just like you put yourself and other people at risk when you drive drunk, you put yourself and others at risk when you use a cell phone and drive. The level of impairment is very similar.” Also, consider they found motorists to be more accident-prone and slower to react when talking on cellular telephones. It did not matter if it was hands-free either because of "inattention blindness", a syndrome that makes a driver less able to process visual information.

3) The George Institute for International Health (University of Sydney, Australia), Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (Arlington, Virginia) and Injury Research Centre, University of Western Australia (Crawley Australia) jointly presented research entitled "Role of mobile phones in motor vehicle crashes resulting in hospital attendance: a case-crossover study". The research consisted of 456 drivers aged 17 years who owned or used mobile phones and had been involved in road crashes requiring hospital attendance between April 2002 and July 2004. They concluded that a driver who uses a mobile phone (up to 10 minutes prior to a crash) has a four times higher likelihood of crashing and an increased likelihood of a crash resulting in injury. Using a hands-free phone is not any safer.

Eliminate the Risk & Keep the Benefits
If you are the head of a household, a guardian or the parent of a less experienced driver, your decision to allow any in-vehicle cell phone use carries a major emotional and financial risk. If you are a fleet manager or you employ individuals that conduct work-related conversations while driving, the risk of liability for distracted accidents could fall on you. Strongly consider the legal ramifications for the careless operation of an employee-owned or company-supplied vehicle before deciding to ignore the inherent danger created by a major cognitive distraction such as a cell phone.Obviously, there are no easy or certain solutions without sacrifice of convenience. Remember that the benefit of having a cell phone (emergency use and times when you are not operating a vehicle) is not lost just because it remains off while driving. If you consider the facts presented by relevant and reliable sources, it really is not a matter of a trade off after all, but an opportunity to prevent an accident or possibly a fatality. In the mean time, until it is proven otherwise, think about instigating a life saving strategy NOW for the safe use of cell phones - limit yourself, loved ones and employees to use (personal and business) only when the vehicle is in park!

About the Author:
Gary S. Rothstein is the President of Mobile Awareness, a company which designs and markets transportation safety products. He has 25 years experience in the engineering field of high technology electronic systems and can be reached at http://www.MobileAwareness.com, 34305 Solon Road, Solon, Ohio 44139, 866-653-5036, gsr@MobileAwareness.com Copyright© Free Newsletter Sign-up

Accident Prevention Begins With Individual Awareness

2006-09-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

Whether you drive an SUV, a delivery van, an RV or a long haul truck, it’s vital to always bring along one item … your safety awareness! The safe operation of any vehicle is determined by the attentiveness, alertness and ability of an individual to focus on the task at hand. Increasing your own driver awareness can go a long to help prevent the costly accidents, fatalities and material losses that affect us all.

Drowsy or Distracted, Both Are Deadly:
Impaired mental faculty due to limited sleep, mixed with high demands on alertness and attentiveness, makes for a dangerous combination, one that has been attributed to some $12 billion in yearly costs and thousands of deaths (U.S. Department of Transportation). Driver distraction, or more precisely, driver lapses in attention caused by cell phones, MP3 players, GPS devices and other in-vehicle entertainment, has been named one of the leading safety hazards in the transportation industry. There is no shortage of overwhelming data supporting the need for more safety solutions to mitigate the horrific accidents and fatalities occurring as the result of drowsy or distracted driving. While new technologies are bringing better safety products to market, life saving changes can be made by increasing your individual knowledge about the causes of preventable accidents. Education is a powerful tool, understanding the dangers of unfocused driving may help you think twice. Before you end up on the wrong side of a senseless driving disaster, consider there were 43,443 deaths from motor vehicle accidents in 2005! My guess is numerous were preventable…

The Problem is Everyone’s:
Over the last 50 years much has been discussed about the perils of sleep-deprived truck drivers, tired individual drivers and drivers not paying attention. Further complicated by the ever increasing number of trucks on the road, additional concerns arise as a result of the dramatic shortage of qualified drivers, moving an ever growing supply of consumer and consumable products. Moreover, the problem is not limited to truck drivers as is clearly detailed in a report from the NHTSA (National Survey of Distracted and Drowsy Driving Attitudes and Behavior, April, 2003). The survey findings show that most drivers at least occasionally engage in behaviors that draw some percentage of their attention away from their driving task. These behaviors include talking with other passengers (81%), changing radio stations or CDs (66%), and eating or drinking while driving (49%). making outgoing & taking incoming cell phone calls (25%) and dealing with children riding in the rear seat (24%). While it is estimated that more than a billion driving trips are made weekly by drivers engaging in each of these behaviors, fewer than one in four drivers perceive these particular activities as distracting or as making driving much more dangerous! Don’t take the risk of ignorance; always give your full attention to driving whenever you navigate a motor vehicle.

Dangerous Vehicles, Large & Small:
It is a well known and documented fact (Commercial Motor Vehicle Facts, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, April 2005) that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver alertness/drowsiness is a major safety hazard in modern day society. There are approximately 7.9 million large trucks on our roads today, some driven by drivers working excessive hours, complicated by a shortage of qualified truck drivers. Large trucks alone make up over 400,000 accidents a year with an average cost of over $62,000.00 per incident. In 2002 alone the Total Cost of Fatigue-Related Crashes (in 1999 Dollars) exceeded $2.3 billion! What is a lesser known and reported danger is the ever increasing number of overworked, overtired and highly distracted individuals driving noncommercial trucks, SUV’s and cars numbering over 220 million vehicles. While these automobiles are smaller in size and weight, they are no less dangerous in the hands of a sleep deprived or inattentive driver.

Education Enhances Safety Awareness:
There are many sources of vehicle safety and accident prevention information available from the US government, such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). If you are limited in time, I recommend reviewing the Essential Data articles listed on our web site (www.mobileawareness.com) as a convenient reference. The information is updated frequently and covers many critically important driver safety topics. By taking the time to learn about the hazards and risks associated with driving, it becomes apparent how increased attentiveness can lead to accident avoidance.

Clearly a driver’s ability to safely control a vehicle and be “aware” will continue to be tested as a result of the ever increasing distractions in our highly mobilized society. The fact remains that the safe operation of any motor vehicle is the responsibility of the driver. Doing your part to increase your alertness while driving, will not only make you a safer driver, it will benefit all that share our roads.

Gary S. Rothstein is the President of Mobile Awareness (http://www.MobileAwareness.com), a company which designs and markets vehicle safety products. He has 25 years experience in the design application and engineering field of high technology electronic systems and can be reached at: Mobile Awareness, 34305 Solon Road, Solon, Ohio 44139, 866-653-5036, gsr@MobileAwareness.com Copyright©