The addictive pull of the smartphone has been driving a surge in traffic fatalities over the past few years. Persuading drivers to keep their eyes off of their phones will require a multi-pronged approach, according to a health communication expert at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
One of the biggest hurdles to addressing distracted driving is that people are not sufficiently shamed about their habits, said Susan Moses, deputy director of the Center for Health Communication at Harvard Chan School, in a May 5, 2017 interview on the WGBH radio program Under the Radar. They know it’s unsafe to check emails and text while driving, but they do it anyway.
Strategies to change this behavioral norm include promoting tougher “hands-free” laws—laws that prohibit drivers from using hand-held devices while driving—educating kids, and promoting technologies such as apps that turn off smartphone message notifications while a user is driving.
The Center for Health Communication helped popularize the concept of the designated driver in the U.S. three decades ago by promoting it through TV shows and pop culture.
Listen to the Under the Radar episode: Slamming The Brakes On Distracted Driving
Learn more
Using shame to combat distracted driving (Harvard Chan School news)
Preventing Deadly Distracted Driving (Harvard Chan School Forum)
Curbing distracted driving with “situational awareness” (Harvard Chan School news)
Despite more regulations, texting while driving remains a growing safety concern (Harvard Chan School news)
Putting the brakes on distracted driving (Harvard Chan School news)