Distracted Driving Focus of High School Presentation

An all-too-common activity that endangers the lives of both teens and adults was the focus of a presentation at Feb. 23.

Saucon Valley resident and research nurse Jane Hoff, who is the founder of , delivered a 40-minute presentation her organization has developed to help combat distracted driving, particularly among teenagers.

"We don't want to just tell you: 'Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it,'" Hoff said at the start of her presentation.

Instead, as high school principal Eric Kahler noted, professionals such as Hoff want to help students learn to make "good choices" in any situation.

Part of the presentation, which Hoff hopes to bring to students throughout the Lehigh Valley and beyond, included asking students to identify some examples of distractions that can occur while one is on the road.

Among the more typical ones identified were texting, changing a radio station, reaching for something in the backseat of a car, eating, and waving to friends.

Hoff then surprised the students by telling them that some of the more "bizarre" distracting behaviors motorists have been known to engage in include painting their nails and changing clothing.

She emphasized the fact that hands-free phones--including the popular console phones that now equip many vehicles--have been shown to be just as dangerous as hand-held phones, in terms of their ability to distract drivers.

"As drivers, you have no control over what's going on in your head," Hoff told the students.

Having a conversation on a phone "actually changes the neurochemistry in your brain that decreases your attentiveness to driving or doing any other activity," she added. "So we think that using hands-free is safer. It is not."

To help avoid the "inattention blindness" that can result from distractions, Hoff recommended not using cell phones at all in the car, and pulling over to deal with other types of distractions, such as unruly children.

If a phone must be left turned on, it should at least be put away and out of reach, and listening devices such as iPods should be pre-programmed before travel begins, Hoff said.

To help remind students not to use their phones while driving, Hoff distributed silicone bracelets that can also be used to block phone use if they are wrapped around them.

The presentation concluded with the showing of a British video that depicts some dangers of distracted driving.

Hoff, who noted that the Feb. 23 presentation was her first in front of high school students, that she is currently working on producing an educational video for Take A STANDD, Inc., in conjunction with one of the organization's partners, St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network.