Distracted Driving

[JFLY17 11]

 

 

Preventing Distracted Driving

[x635 4,066]

That is an excellent article. Very well written and informative. Teen driver education is very important, should be taught in high school, but parents and the media need to take more action, as this blog points out.

 

It's also on a blog that integrates homeland security and pop culture, an interesting mix. I'm looking forward to reading more articles.

[sympathomedic 383]

     Boy is  THIS thread targeted at the right audience!  We (EMS) are the WORST at this. If I had a dime for everyone I worked with who tried to navigate with a phone while driving light/sirens, I could retire today. I am aware of many emergency vehicle crashes, both regular driving and light/sirens caused by wireless distractions.

    Even before these devices become common, American ambulances had the highest rate of traffic deaths per mile of  ANY VEHICLE ON THE PLANET! That stat includes NASCAR!  The safest?  American school buses.  Think about that next time you take a kid off a school bus and put them in your ambulance.

    Who was it that said, "We have seen the enemy, and it is US!" 

[antiquefirelt 994]

2 hours ago, sympathomedic said:

     If I had a dime for everyone I worked with who tried to navigate with a phone while driving light/sirens, I could retire today.

Wow, I gotta say, this is a sign of extremely poor leadership/management from my perspective. On my job, that would be days off the first time and likely career ending if repeated. They let people drink and drive too? As the stats show distracted driving overtaking drivers under the influence, I'd think it might be time for some leadership. 

[sympathomedic 383]

     Truth be told, I work 3 paid EMS jobs and I volly. The all of them put me working with multiple agencies each.   The very next time I am on a rig with someone who is driving and they let an incoming call go to voice mail will be the first.  That crosses the the entire spectrum of all agencies I work with- about 8 agencies.

  Transcare I think had the best policy:  I believe it was either once and done, or twice and done, but you were done.

   The phone to me is not as bed as the navigating. Even on a rig with a dash-mounted GPS, folks seem addicted to the hand-held device. You need to stop looking at  where you are going and look at the freaking phone!!  LET SOMEONE ELSE do that.   Anyone who rides with me knows I carry a real paper map. I hate to drive, so I navigate by  giving  real, live 'Turn here, dummy' by turn instructions.  Folks should try that.