To elicit the behavior-change behind the wheel that is needed to meaningfully combat distracted driving, an ‘evolution of social norms is important, and I think young people can help lead the way on that.’

While the problem of distracted driving is one that’s immune to easy fixes, there are a host of ideas for how to reduce this deadly behaviour and minimize the harm it causes, everything from more punitive enforcement to rethinking how we build cars and roadways. Dr. Jay Winsten, whose public-health project at Harvard University aims to combat distracted driving, believes it will take a combination of both technological intervention and a generational shift in behaviour to get it under control … Continue reading

LookOut for new campaign: ‘Many drivers have highly inflated beliefs about their own skills at multitasking. And each time they drive while distracted and get away with it, their confidence only grows.’ — Jay Winsten (Q&A interview)

July 2, 2019 — The Harvard Gazette: “[The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s] Center for Health Communication is planning to tackle a major cause: distracted driving. The center is joining forces with a Hollywood animation studio and a New York ad firm to develop a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the need for drivers to remain focused, a problem that has proved resistant to efforts by legislatures, federal and state agencies, insurance companies, carmakers, nonprofits, and others…[The Harvard Gazette] spoke to Jay Winsten … Continue reading