TEXTING WHILE DRIVING KASHA MARTIN JAMIE PAIVA MARSHA

TEXTING WHILE DRIVING KASHA MARTIN JAMIE PAIVA MARSHA THOMAS BRANDIE ZIMMERMAN

INTRODUCTION • In recent years there has been a growing concern of distracted driving and vehicle crashes. Of these distractions, cell phone use has received a lot of attention (O’Brien, Goodwin, Foss, 2010). Research has shown that there a variety of tasks that draw a drivers eyes away from the roadway and suggests that texting is associated with the highest risk among all cell phone -related tasks among these drivers (Madden & Lenhart, 2009). These crashes are the single most serious health problem of our teen population and kill more teenagers than drugs, alcohol, suicide, and homicides combined (Thompson, 2010).

DEMOGRAPHICS • Highest incidence of distracted drivers occurs in the under-20 age group (Madden and Lenhart, 2009). • Licensed teen drivers in highschool (O’Brien, Goodwin, and Foss, 2010). • • Aged 16 -17 (O’Brien, Goodwin, and Foss, 2010) (Madden and Lenhart, 2009). Boys and girls are equally likely to report texting behind the wheel (Madden and Lenhart, 2009).

CULTURAL DESCRIPTORS THAT IMPACT HEALTH • Inexperienced drivers • Generally are not knowledgeable of what is and what is not safe to do while driving (O’Brien, Goodwin, and Foss, 2010). • Neurocognitive Development • Prefrontal cortex of brain is still developing until mid-20’s. This area of brain is vital to impulse control, decision making, understanding consequences, organizing thoughts, and maintaining attention and focus – everything we need to be safe drivers (Madden and Lenhart, 2009). • Adolescents are capable of recognizing and understanding risks but unable to act in accordance to with this understanding (O’Brien, Goodwin, Foss, 2010). “They just don’t get it” (Madden and Lenhart, 2009).

STATISTICS RELATED TO POPULATION AND RISK FACTORS • According to the Centers for Disease Control (2013); • Distracted drivers using cell phones process 50% less environmental information needed to operate a motor vehicle safely. • 390, 000 people were injured in car crashes resulting from driver distraction • 9 people die everyday as the result of distracted driving accidents. • 69% of drivers in U. S. have used their cell phones while driving in the past 30 days.

STATISTICS RELATED TO POPULATION AND RISK FACTORS • In a survey conducted electronically by (Hoff et al. , 2013 ) 1857 licensed drivers who were employees of a single health care network were surveyed for driver distraction and behavior. The results for driver distraction are listed below.

STATISTICS RELATED TO POPULATION AND RISK FACTORS • The Pew Research Center Internet and American Life Project (2009) conducted a survey with 800 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17. They were asked about their experiences as passengers and drivers and distracted driving. The table below are results from the survey. Age Passenger in Car While Driver. Texting Passenger in Car While Driver Talking on Cell Phone Driver Texting While Driving Driver Talking on Cell Phone While Driving 12 -17 48% 40% N/A 16 -17 64% 48% 34% 54%

STATISTICS RELATED TO POPULATION AND RISK FACTORS In another study (O’Brien et al 2010) surveyed teens to find out about their cell phone usage while driving. 1949 questionnaires were sent out, 539 were completed of which only 320 were licensed to drive unsupervised and could be used. There were only two questions asked about talking and texting while driving with the following results. Do text and drive? Do you talk and drive? 71% 79%

COMMUNITY RISK • In all the previous research studies that were conducted there was a consensus about distracted driving: it increases the risk of car crashes and injuries resulting from them. • Any community and its members are at risk of being involved in a car crash resulting from a distracted driver at anytime whether as a driver, passenger or pedestrian. • Distracted driving is a risk to public safety and the community.

HEALTH BELIEF MODEL: THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR • States that a person’s attitude toward a behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are all factors that influence a person’s intentions and behaviors (Pender, Murdaugh, & Parsons, 2011, p. 40 -41). Source: http: //people. uma ss. edu/aizen/tpb. d iag. html#null-link

PLAN OF ACTION • Our Mission: • To reduce the number of high school drivers that report that they text while driving by raising awareness of the risks and dangers. • Our Objectives: • By March 2015, to increase by 30% the self-reporting of high school teenage drivers that do not text and drive.

PLAN OF ACTION: STEP 1 OF 5 • Action Step 1: Gather at least 100 behavioral survey responses from high school drivers that own cell phones from each of five area high schools, and calculate the data gathered from surveys. • • • Person(s) Responsible: Kasha Martin, Jamie Paiva, Marsha Thomas, and Brandie Zimmerman Date to be Completed: April 2014 Resources Required: $1, 500 for printing costs Potential Barriers or Resistance: Teens being reluctant to take survey/answering truthfully for fear of getting in trouble (must reinforce that surveys are completely confidential) Collaborators: High school administrators and high school students that drive and own cell phones.

PLAN OF ACTION: STEP 2 OF 5 • Action Step 2: Securing printed educational materials. • Person Responsible: Kasha Martin • Date to be Completed: May 2014 • Resources Required: $7, 000 for printing costs • Potential Barriers or Resistance: None • Collaborators: Casey Anderson Feldman Foundation and the NHTSA

PLAN OF ACTION: STEP 3 OF 5 • • • Action Step 3: Find guest speaker(s) (a victim of texting and driving/someone who personally caused harm to others by texting and driving) Person Responsible: Jamie Paiva Date to be Completed: June 2014 Resources Required: Internet and phone access Potential Barriers or Resistance: Potential speaker not having time to participate in all assemblies/not willing to speak in public (stage fright) (must convince of the importance of topic and their ability to save lives!) Collaborators: Guest speaker(s)

PLAN OF ACTION: STEP 4 OF 5 • • • Action Step 4: Create a 20 -30 minute presentation to be performed in high school assemblies. Person Responsible: Marsh Thomas Date to be Completed: August 2014 Resources Required: None Potential Barriers or Resistance: Potential speaker not having time to participate in all assemblies/not willing to speak in public (stage fright) (must convince of the importance and their ability to save lives!) Collaborators: Guest speaker(s)

PLAN OF ACTION: STEP 5 OF 5 • Action Step 5: Secure time slots for presenting and handing out educational material during high school assemblies, then perform presentations. • • Person Responsible: Brandie Zimmerman • Collaborators: High school administrators Date to be Completed: June 2014 through February 2015 Resources Required: Internet and phone access Potential Barriers or Resistance: High schools not having time available during their assemblies to accommodate presentation (must convince them of importance of topic and the safety of their students and anyone on the road/negotiate to reduce time of presentation)

PLAN OF ACTION: EVALUATE • Hand out same behavioral surveys from the year prior to at least 100 high school drivers that own cell phones from each of the same five area high schools, and calculate the data gathered from surveys. Compare 2014 data to 2015 data.

SETTING FOR PLAN OF ACTION • High school • Assembly • Driver education courses offered through the school

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020: ADOLESCENT HEALTH Goal: “Improve the healthy development, health, safety, and well-being of adolescents and young adults” (US Department of Health and Human Services [US DHHS], 2013). • • Make up 21% of the population (US DHHS, 2013). • Motor vehicle crashes are listed as a public health and social problem (US DHHS, 2013). • Adolescents are susceptible to environmental and social influences (US DHHS, 2013). Behavior patterns developed during this developmental period influences health status and risks (US DHHS, 2013).

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020: INJURIES AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION Goal: “Prevent unintentional injuries and violence, and reduce their consequences” (US DHHS, 2013). • Events resulting in injury, disability and death are predictable and preventable (US DHHS, 2013). • Choices such as risk taking (texting while driving) increase injuries (US DHHS, 2013). • • Social environment influences risk for injury (US DHHS, 2013). Motor vehicle crashes related to distracted driving is an emerging issue (US DHHS, 2013).

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020: SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH Goal: “Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all” (US DHHS, 2013). • “Conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks” (US DHHS, 2013). • Education • Public safety

REFERENCES Community Tool Box. (2013). A model for getting started. Retrieved from http: //ctb. dept. ku. edu/en/get-started. Madden, M. , & Lenhart, A. (2009). Teens and distracted driving: Texting, talking and other uses of the cell phone behind the wheel. Pew Research Institute. Retrieved from http: //pewinternet. org/Reports/2009/Teens-and-Distracted. Driving. aspx. O’Brien, N. , Goodwin, A. , & Foss, R. D. (2010). Talking and texting among teenage drivers: A glass half empty or half full? Traffic Injury Prevnetion, 11, 549 -554. doi 10. 1080115389588. 2010. 516036.

REFERENCES Pender, N. , Murdaugh, C. , & Parsons, M. A. (2011). Health promotion in nursing practice. (6 th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Thompson, R. (2010). What’s really hurting our kids? The school nurse role in preventing teen vehicle fatalities. NASN School Nurse, 25(4), 183 -187. doi 10. 1177/1942602 X 10370367 US Department of Health and Human Services (August, 2013). Healthy People 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http: //www. healthypeople. gov/2020/default. aspx

• Centers for Disease Control. ( 2013, May 23). Distracted driving. Retrieved from www. cdc. gov/Motorvehiclesafety/Distracted_Driving/index. html