Health
NUMBER TO KNOW According to new Dutch research, cigarette smokers are 30 percent more likely to take off 10 to 24 days of work because of poor health.
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DID YOU KNOW? To reduce the ear pain when you're in a plane that's ascending or descending, chew on gum or mints and give babies a pacifier or a bottle.
Remove the distractions Obama, Oprah, AAA all say, ‘Pay attention while driving’ By CAROL SPONAGLE Gatehouse News Service
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veryone, from law enforcement officers to Oprah Winfrey to President Barack Obama, is urging people to avoid distractions like cell phones and GPS devices while driving. Now, AAA is targeting auto passengers that have very little to do with the operation of a car: Fido and Fluffy. According to AAA, 31 percent of respondents to a re-
cent survey admitted to being distracted by their dog while driving, and 21 percent have allowed their dog to sit in their lap while driving. The survey follows on the heels of Winfrey's "No Texting" campaign (to remind people to stop texting while driving). In addition, there was an official 2010 Distracted Driving Summit hosted on Sept. 21 in Washington, D.C., and there are ongoing efforts by law enforcement officials to encourage safe driving habits.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation defines distracted driving as "any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of crashing." In 2008, nearly 5,900 people died and almost half a million people were injured because of automobile accidents involving a distracted driver, according to the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System. Driving while distracted occurs with people of all ages, but it has the deadliest consequences for younger, inexperienced drivers. Statistics show that drivers under the age of 20 have the highest proportion of fatal auto accidents because of distractions — and the number of young people who text while driving is increasing. There are three main types of driving distractions: • Visual taking your eyes off of the road
BY THE NUMBERS According to the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System: • In 2008, 37,261 people were killed in auto crashes, and 5,870 of those killed (16 percent) were in crashes where drivers were distracted. • 21 percent of injuries from auto crashes in 2008 were due to distracted driving. • From 2004 to 2008, crashes from distracted driving rose from 8 to 11 percent.
Livingston Fitness *October Special*
• Manual taking your hands off of the wheels • Cognitive taking your mind off what you're doing The government calls texting "the most alarming" because it involves all three types of distractions. Distracting activities listed by the Department of Transportation include talking on a cell phone, using a personal digital assistant or a navigation system, watching a video, changing the radio station or CD, eating, drinking, talking to passengers and grooming. Other distracting activities are daydreaming, having strong emotions and searching or reaching for loose items while driving.