Traffic and Transit
1. 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA).
2. Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashed, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). (NHTSA)
3. In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. (FARS and GES)
4. The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group – 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. (NHTSA)
5. Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)
6. Using a cell phone use while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent. (Source: University of Utah)
7. The under-20 age group had the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes (16%). The age group with the next greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the 20- to-29-year-old age group – 13 percent of all 20-to-29-year-old drivers in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted.
8. Of those drivers reportedly distracted during a fatal crash, the 30-to-39-year-old drivers were the group with the greatest proportion distracted by cell phones. Cell phone distraction was reported for 24 percent of the 30-to-39-year-old distracted drivers in fatal crashes.
9. Light-truck drivers and motorcyclists had the greatest percentage of total drivers reported as distracted at the time of the fatal crash (12% each). Bus drivers had the lowest percentage (6%) of total drivers involved in fatal crashes that were reported as distraction-related.
10. During NHTSA’s 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, driver involvement in secondary tasks contributed to more than 22 percent of all crashes and near-crashes recorded during the study period.
SPARE THE AIR
The Spare the Air Program was established by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to educate people about air pollution, and to encourage us to change our behavior to prevent it. Use the tips below, take transit, and we’ll all breathe easier!
Spare the Air Every Day Tips:
Take transit
The Bay Area has many transit options. Use them and you will save gas, money and stress.
Walk or ride
Walking or riding a bike to commute or run errands saves gas and money AND improves your health too!
Link your trips
Group your errands. You’ll save gas and time by eliminating extra trips.
Stay steady
Minimize pedal and break changes with a steady speedometer and improve gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway!
Buy Local Products
The shorter the trip to get to you, the less gas it requires.
For more helpful tips visit SpareTheAir.org or 511.org.