Sept. 17 is Two-Second Turnoff Day for Mobile Phones from Seventeen

It’s no secret that distracted driving has been a growing problem in the U.S. Although much has been done in cities and states across the country to prevent the unsafe practices of talking and texting while driving, people are still involved in accidents daily because of distracted driving.

Some startling facts from the U.S. Government Website for Distracted Driving:

• In 2008, slightly more than almost 20 percent of all crashes in the year involved some type of distraction. 
• Nearly 6,000 people died in 2008 in crashes involving a distracted driver, and more than half a million were injured. 
• Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. 
• Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent, which is the legal limit in many states.

YouTube Video Contest

Recently the Department of Transportation, Seventeen magazine and AAA have joined forces in an effort to combat distracted driving by co-sponsoring a viral video challenge to raise awareness of the issue. The contest is centered on Seventeen’s Two-Second Turnoff Day, which is scheduled for Sept. 17. The idea of Two-Second Turnoff Day is that it takes two seconds or less to get into a crash, and by taking two seconds to turn off your cell phone before getting into the car, you can prevent the crash from happening altogether.

The contest, aimed at teen drivers, asks that participants shoot their own public service announcement against distracted driving, post it on YouTube and share it with their friends. Those who wish to participate have until Sept. 10 to sign up and submit their PSAs. The winner of the contest will receive $2,000, have his or her video posted on Seventeen.com, AAAexchange.com and distraction.gov, as well as have it featured at the Distracted Driving Summit on Sept. 21 in Washington.

Visit Seventeen.com for contest rules.

We’ve been blogging a lot about distracted driving, and that’s because there seems to be no shortage of news on the subject.

The latest news is that the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has developed a set of “Driver Focus Design Guidelines” to help encourage automakers design better and safer connectivity technologies in their cars. (www.autoalliance.org/driverfocusfacts)

“Digital technology has created a connected culture in America that has forever changed our society,” said Dave McCurdy, president and CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, in a news release. “Managing technology is the solution, and that’s why automakers developed Driver Focus Design Guidelines to help drivers keep their eyes on the road. Drivers are going to have conversations, listen to music and read maps while driving, and automakers are helping them do this more safely with integrated connectivity technologies.”

The Alliance supports technologies that are integrated directly into the vehicle by the automaker because they can be designed in a way that helps the driver keep focus. A basic premise of the Driver Focus Guidelines is that the driver’s attention in using a connectivity device – satellite radio or cell phone, for example – should take no longer than what it would take to tune an older-style radio.

They also support “no phone zones” to help encourage a more rapid transition to hands-free cell phone usage.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers includes BMW Group, Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz USA, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

Today, April 30, is National No Phone Zone Day, which has been established to help bring an end to using cell phones while driving.

No Phone Zone Day is being championed by none other than Oprah herself, who has taken up the campaign to stop texting while driving. She is not alone in taking up this cause. Groups like FocusDriven and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers are also champions for "no phone zones" in cars.

And, why? It's estimated that nearly 500,000 people are injured and 6,000 are killed each year because drivers are using cell phones - calling, texting, or e-mailing - while driving.

As part of Oprah's No Phone Zone campaign, she is encouraging drivers to sign a pledge about how much of a "no phone zone" their car will be. The pledge options are:

• I will not text while I am driving.
• I will not text while driving and will use only handsfree calling if I need to speak on the phone while I am driving.
• I will not text or use my phone while I am driving. If I need to use my phone, I will pull over to a secure location.

If you’re interested in signing the No Phone Zone pledge or finding out more about distracted driving, below are some links for you.

• Oprah’s No Phone Zone site and pledge form.
• FocusDriven wants to end distracted driving.

Where do you stand on this issue? Visit our Forum to join the discussion.