Page 31 - The Magazine of AAA Ohio Auto Club – September 2020

Photo: iStock/ Voyagerix
“This rise correlates with the rise in cell and smartphone ownership,” said May. “More people have smartphones, and they’re increasingly using them while driving.”
also see cellphone use as less risky, more beneficial, and they are more resistant to anti-distraction messaging,” she said.
In addition, children who grow up watching their parents drive distracted are more likely to drive distracted once they get behind the wheel.
“Young drivers are sensitive to hypocrisy and drive how their parents drive, not as they say,” said Shoots-Reinhard.
So how do we stop this vicious cycle and reduce crashes? That’s the question traffic safety experts continue to grapple with throughout the country and here in Ohio.
To address this issue, federal law requires all states to develop a Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Ohio’s plan uses a data-driven, multi-agency approach to reduce traffic fatalities and severe injuries on Ohio’s roads.
The plan is spearheaded by the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Program, which invests in preventing or reducing the severity of crashes across the state.
“While the bulk of our funding is used to build
safer roads, we are increasingly working with partners like AAA to build safer driving habits,” said Michelle May, Highway Safety Program manager at ODOT. “Getting more drivers to buckle up and put the phone down – every trip, every time – has enormous potential to help us eliminate serious injuries and deaths in
our state.”
Photo: iStock/ Martinan
But, getting drivers to behave isn’t always that simple.
“We see over and over and over again with all sorts
of public health issues, there’s never just one magic bullet,” said Shoots-Reinhard. “It has to be a change in culture. Norms have to change; enforcement has to be increased. There also has to be an education component. It really has to be everything working in concert.”
That includes messaging, technology, legislation, enforcement and even infrastructure.
“Research being conducted by The Ohio State University and other institutions show that infrastructure can influence a driver’s behavior or comfort with engaging in cell phone distractions,” said May. “We’re interested in exploring that in the future to see how roundabouts and other designs can be used to influence smart choices.”
Some drivers may think they’re making good choices by using their cell phones hands-free instead of hand-held, but traffic safety advocates say not so fast.
“It just seems so intuitive that talking hands-free should be safer, but there’s a lot of evidence that suggests that it’s not safe,” said Shoots-Reinhard.
That’s because drivers are still mentally distracted, causing them to miss items right in front of them. The data does not lie. Even with technological
advances in hands-free infotainment systems and safer vehicles, ODOT reports increased traffic deaths on Ohio’s roads during the past five years.
“This rise correlates with the rise in cell and smart- phone ownership,” said May. “More people have smartphones, and they’re increasingly using them while driving.”
The best advice; “Focus on driving,” said Shoots- Reinhard.
And remember, always look out for those other drivers.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | 29
Kimberly Schwind is senior public affairs manager at AAA Ohio.