COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEADAbout 1 out of every 4 motor vehicle crashes

involves cell phone use.* Cell phone use

while driving isn’t only a visual and manual

distraction, but a cognitive distraction—taking

your mind off driving—as well. Many drivers

mistakenly believe hands-free cell phones are

safer than handheld. However, hands-free

cell phones do not eliminate cognitive

distraction. Hands-free devices offer NO SAFETY

BENEFITS.

DRIVERS TALKING ON HANDS-FREE AND HANDHELD

CELL PHONES ACCOUNTED FOR

1.1 MILLION CRASHES

IN 2010. source: National Safety Council

UNDERSTANDINGTHE DISTRACTED

BRAINHuman brains are unable to effectively

perform two cognitively complex tasks at

the same time, such as driving and talking on

a cell phone. A Carnegie Mellon University

study produced fMRI pictures of the brain

while study participants drove using a

simulator and listened to spoken sentences

they were asked to judge as true or false.

The pictures below show listening to

sentences on cell phones decreased activity

in the brain’s parietal lobe by 37%. Drivers

use this area of the brain for navigation

and visual tracking of movement.

Drivers talking on cell phones can fail to see up to 50% of the information

in their driving environment.source: Dr. David Strayer, Director of the Center for the Prevention of Distracted Driving

Functional magnetic resonance imaging pictures.

Driving alone Driving with sentence listening

L R L R

sour

ce:

Carn

egie

Mello

n Univ

ersit

y

Drivers talking on cell phones

are more likely to make driving

errors than drivers talking

with passengers. Why? Adult

passengers often actively help

drivers by monitoring and

discussing traffic, whereas

a person on the phone cannot

see the roadway and adjust

the conversation as needed.

READ THE NATIONAL

SAFETY COUNCIL WHITE

PAPER, “UNDERSTANDING

THE DISTRACTED BRAIN:

WHY DRIVING WHILE USING

HANDS-FREE CELL PHONES

IS RISKY BEHAVIOR,”

AT thebrain.nsc.org.

MULTITASKING

The four lobes of the brain.

Drivers distracted by cell phone

conversations not only have slower

reaction times, but also are

less likely to see:

• Exits, red lights and stop signs

• Navigational signs

• Other drivers’ actions

• Pedestrians and cyclists

IMPAIRS PERFORMANCE

sour

ce: N

ation

al Ins

titut

es of

Hea

lth

The National Safety Council recommends businesses ban cell phone use while driving among employees.

Visit us at ourdrivingconcern.nsc.org for more FREE resources and information on what you can do to encourage your employees to drive safely.

Danger:Drivers often believe

their own crash risk is lower than other

drivers.

Lack of awareness about the risks of

hands-free devices, conversations and

cognitive distraction could prolong change

to safer driving. Widespread education about

the dangers of talking on a cell phone while

driving is critical. Get involved today by

implementing and supporting:

• Corporate cell phone bans

• Public education

• Distracted driving legislation

• High-visibility law enforcement

• Safe driving technology

E L I M I N AT I N GDRIVER DISTRACTIONS

Although 87% of AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

survey respondents said drivers talking on cell phones are a somewhat or very serious threat to their personal safety, nearly 70%

admitted talking on a cell phone in the last 30 days.

* Kolos

h, K.

Summ

ary o

f Esti

mate

Mode

l. (20

09).

Natio

nal S

afety

Coun

cil.

sour

ces:

Carn

egie

Mello

n Univ

ersit

y, Ce

nter

of th

e Pre

vent

ion of

Dist

racte

d Driv

ing, N

ation

al Sa

fety C

ounc

il and

Tran

spor

t Can

ada,

Natio

nal H

ighwa

y Tra

ffic S

afety

Admi

nistra

tion,

Traffi

c Safe

ty Fa

cts 20

08 da

ta.

developed with funding from the texas department of transportation.

0412 000083100 ©2012 national safety council