Maryland Distracted Driving Summit
Welcome to the Maryland Distracted Driving Summit!
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office, in partnership with DRIVE SMART Virginia, is hosting the first ever Maryland Distracted Driving Summit virtually during the month of April. This virtual Summit is comprised of a series of 18 webinars, each will require a separate registration. Speakers from across the country will be sharing their expertise in four different education tracks. The track categories include: law enforcement, research/data, corporate/community strategies, and focused populations.
These sessions are not to be missed! Click on the yellow registration buttons to sign up for the webinars now!
Schedule of Webinars
Opening Panel: Can Technology Save Us from Distracted Driving?
Date: April 1, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:30pm EST
Speakers:
Mr. Matt Fiorentino, TrueMotion; Dr. David Strayer, University of Utah; Dr. David Zuby, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Matt Fiorentino
David Strayer
David Zuby
Description: This panel will discuss the potential of technological solutions to distracted driving. Speakers will address solutions such as mobile device integration with in-vehicle infotainment systems, do not disturb while driving phone features, telematic monitoring, and driver assistance features. Learn about which of these offer the most promise and which solutions might exacerbate the problem of distracted driving.
Register Here
LAW ENFORCEMENT TRACK
Collecting the Evidence: Tools to Prosecute Distracted Driving Cases
Date: April 7, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speaker:
Ms. Joanne Thompka, National District Attorneys Association
Joanne Thomka
Description: Investigating a vehicular homicide involving distracted driving requires significant and complex investigatory practices. Finding a cell phone at a crash scene can help officers collect information that is critical to an investigation, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Corporal Fox and Ms. Thompka will explain tips to successfully investigate and prosecute crashes that are the result of distracted driving, including identifying types of evidence, cell phone recovery and forensic imaging, collection of cell phone and texting records, using air bag control module data to support distraction, and search warrant preparation.
Register HerePromising Practices and Lessons Learned from the Field
Date: April 14, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Mr. Michael Fergus, International Association of Chiefs of Police; Chief Daniel Sharp, Oro Valley Police Department (retired)
Mike Fergus
Daniel Sharp
Description: Civilians and law enforcement officers alike engage in distracted driving. The International Association of Chiefs of Police, in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is dedicated to providing law enforcement agencies with the tools and resources they need to reduce fatal and injury crashes related to distracted driving. This session will introduce the recently published toolkit entitled: Distracted Driving: Promising Practices and Lessons Learned for the Field. Speakers will explain how this toolkit can provide law enforcement chief executives, command staff, first-line supervisors, and patrol officers with effective approaches to educate and enforce distracted driving in their communities, along with strategies to reduce officer distraction in patrol vehicles.
Register HereTraffic Enforcement- A New Paradigm and New Challenges
Date: April 16, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Chief Michael Brown, Alexandria Police Department; Assistant Chief Thomas Didone, Montgomery County Police Department
Michael Brown
Thomas Didone
Description: Several major developments in 2020 significantly impacted traffic safety across the country. The COVID-19 pandemic changed driver behavior and transportation system use and also altered voluntary compliance with traffic safety laws in many communities. These conditions caused policing across the nation to be re-imagined and have impacted traditional approaches used to promote traffic safety. The speakers will assess these issues and the challenges faced by law enforcement.
Register HereDistracted Driving Training and Enforcement Strategies
Date: April 21, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Ms. Pam McCaskill and Ms. Mary Ann Rayment, Transportation Safety Institute
Pam McCaskill
Mary Ann Rayment
Description: Enforcing distracted driving laws can be a challenge. Ms. McCaskill and Ms. Rayment will discuss distracted driving behaviors and the countermeasures proven to reduce the dangers of distracted driving, including enforcement which plays a key role in successfully changing these behaviors. Knowing how to enforce the laws in your state is critical. The speakers will explore a variety of strategies that can be considered in the ongoing effort to save lives.
Register HereCORPORATE/COMMUNITY STRATEGIES TRACK
Selling Safety in the Workplace
Date: April 5, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:00pm EST
Speaker:
Mr. J.A. Rodriguez, Board of Certified Safety Professionals
J.A. Rodriguez
Description: Getting everyone within an organization to be on the same safety page is often a challenging and seemingly impossible endeavor. This session will show anyone responsible for safety how to transform their company leaders into champions of the cause. Mr. Rodriguez travels the world mentoring leaders, and labor and safety professionals on how to convert their organizations from passive participants into active advocates of a safer workplace.
Register HereTraffic Safety Culture, Vision Zero, and Distracted Driving
Date: April 12, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:00pm EST
Speaker:
Dr. Nicholas Ward, University of Montana
Nicholas Ward
Description: Dr. Ward will discuss a standard definition and behavioral model for traffic safety culture, as well as explore how this paradigm can support the development of new strategies to sustain our Zero Deaths goals. Specifically, Dr. Ward will discuss methods to change our culture so that individuals are (1) more focused on attentive driving and (2) more willing to intervene when drivers are distracted (“safety citizenship”). In addition to understanding the role of traffic safety culture, Dr. Ward will discuss how our emotions influence impulses to be distracted and reactions to traffic safety messages that prohibit these behaviors.
Register HereCorporate Strategies to Reduce Crash Risk
Date: April 19, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Mr. Mike Pitcher, LeasePlan (retired); Ms. Lisa Robinson, National Safety Council/Our Driving Concern
Michael Pitcher
Lisa Robinson
Description: Driving is fundamentally one of the most dangerous tasks we do. Nearly half of all workplace fatalities are transportation related and this session will address the importance of corporate strategies to create a strong driver and transportation safety culture. Ms. Robinson will explore risky driver behaviors most often involved in traffic crash causation and the importance of addressing these behaviors on and off the job, as well as implementing beneficial employer policies to mitigate crashes and an employer’s exposure to liability. Mr. Pitcher and his team instituted the first cell phone ban at LeasePlan while employees were driving company vehicles. Mr. Pitcher will discuss methods to reduce employer liability through multiple strategies such as state legislation, corporate policy, and individual responsibility.
Register HereUsing Technology to Combat Distracted Driving
Date: April 23, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:00pm EST
Speakers:
Mr. Frank Cruice and Mr. Tommy Pollard, Perdue Farms
Frank Cruice
Tommy Pollard
Description: Mr. Cruice and Mr. Pollard will discuss the use of on-board safety systems used by Perdue Farms to reduce driver distraction in its fleet vehicles. The speakers will share the thought process behind selecting and implementing systems such as cell phone blocking, collision avoidance, vehicle stability controls, and on-board video cameras. By sharing some of the successes and lessons Perdue has experienced, Mr. Cruice and Mr. Pollard will help participants gain further understanding of some of the vehicle-based technology being used by fleets today.
Register HereFOCUSED POPULATIONS TRACK
Moving the Needle with Younger Drivers
Date: April 2, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Mr. Joel Feldman, EndDD.org; Ms. Emily Stein, Safe Roads Alliance
Joel Feldman
Emily Stein
Description: Changing culture so that distracted driving is no longer socially acceptable requires a multi-generational approach. In this session, speakers will discuss new strategies to reach teens to maximize opportunities for attitude and behavior change. Younger children are the focus of a new, first of its kind program, Kids Speaking Up for Road Safety, where kids learn about distracted driving long before they get their licenses, including how to intervene as passengers when mom or dad drive distracted. Mr. Feldman and Ms. Stein will also share information about how to involve parents when teens are learning to drive, as research continues to show that the more engaged parents are in the supervised driving process, the less likely it is for these teens to be involved in a crash.
Register HereCommunicating with Younger Generations
Date: April 8, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Ms. Molly Whitfield, Madison and Main; Ms. Mary Zost, The Ad Council
Molly Whitfield
Mary Zost
Description: This session will highlight strategies used to reach teen and young adult audiences. Ms. Whitfield will discuss habits of these audiences, what motivates them, and how and where to reach them through approaches such as the use of social media platforms and influencers. Ms. Zost will speak to the power of peer-based communication and how the Ad Council and Project Yellow Light engage youth to help prevent distracted driving. The session will include insights on Gen Z and how the Ad Council and Project Yellow Light help elevate student voices.
Register HereThe Distracted Pedestrian
Date: April 15, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Dr. Jeff Caird, University of Calgary; Dr. David Schwebel, University of Alabama
Jeff Caird
David Schwebel
Description: Pedestrian injury rates are increasing in the United States, and many experts suspect distraction, both by pedestrians and drivers, to be a major contributing factor. Dr. Schwebel will describe two innovative, technology-based programs designed to reduce distracted pedestrian behavior. Dr. Caird will discuss the effects of listening to music, browsing, texting, and engaging in conversation while street crossing using systematic review and meta-analytic methods. Potential engineering solutions will also be briefly addressed.
Register HereReaching Multicultural Drivers
Date: April 22, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:00pm EST
Speakers:
Ms. Victoria Mendoza and Ms. Laura Sonderup, Hispanidad
Victoria Mendoza
Laura Sondersup
Description: Talking to diverse groups about traffic safety presents challenges and opportunities. While it is possible to translate traffic safety campaigns into different languages or change the actors to represent different races or ethnicities, those approaches do not guarantee message clarity. Ms. Mendoza and Ms. Sonderup will explore how to address cultural differences in effective traffic safety campaigns, when and where to communicate with different constituent groups, and when it is a good idea to seek outside help. Successful multicultural and multilingual campaigns from DOTs in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota will be shared.
Register HereRESEARCH/DATA TRACK
The Facts and Predictors Behind Distracted Driving
Date: April 6, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Mr. Matt Fiorentino, TrueMotion; Dr. Pnina Gershon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Matt Fiorentino
Pnina Gershon
Description: Distraction behaviors vary in type and intensity among different groups. In this session, Mr. Fiorentino will explore the complex world of distracted driving behaviors and will reveal what data shows about distracted driving trends on our roadways. Dr. Gershon will explain teen distracted driving behaviors and the resulting crash risk. She will also discuss the prevalence of secondary task engagement, identify tasks associated with increased crash risk, and compare risk across age groups. Lastly, Dr. Gershon will review environmental and psychosocial factors of distracted driving and will assess the contribution of visual inattention to the crash risk of teenage drivers.
Register HereInfotainment and Vehicle Technologies: Recent Findings and Their Implications for Driver Distraction and Workload
Date: April 9, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Dr. William Horrey, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety; Dr. David Strayer, University of Utah
William Horrey
David Strayer
Description: Dr. Horrey and Dr. Strayer will provide an overview of the past several years of research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the University of Utah. Specifically, they will address cognitive distraction and workload associated with in-vehicle interfaces and infotainment systems. They will also describe recent work examining the workload associated with the use of advanced driver assistance systems.
Register HereData Driven Approaches to Traffic Safety
Date: April 13, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Dr. Mohamed Abdel-Aty, University of Central Florida; Dr. Daniel Flynn, Volpe Center
Mohamed Abdel-Aty
Daniel Flynn
Description: Speakers in this session will discuss two different projects that use data to understand and help prevent crashes. Dr. Flynn will share the methodology used by Volpe Center researchers to integrate user-reported crash information from the Waze app with crash data from the State of Maryland. Dr. Abdel-Aty will outline the real-time visualization system developed by the University of Central Florida. This system results in real-time safety risk prediction that enables decision makers and operators to identify potential road safety problems in advance. Data sources include traffic and weather sensors, smart phone-based data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.
Register HereTeaching Teens to Drive: The Parental Role
Date: April 20, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:10pm EST
Speakers:
Dr. Jonathan Ehsani, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Charlie Klauer, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute
Johnathon Ehsani
Charlie Klauer
Description: Parents play a critical role in teaching their teenager to drive. Dr. Ehsani and Dr. Klauer will present the latest scientific evidence on how parents can help keep teenagers safe as they take the wheel. The webinar includes practical steps on how parents can guide their teenager during the learner stage and how these vital role models can reduce the risk of crashes when teenagers begin driving on their own.
Register HereClosing Session: What’s Next for Maryland?
Date: April 30, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 3:00pm EST
Speaker: Dr. Tim Kerns; Maryland Highway Safety Office
Tim Kerns
Description: Dr. Kerns and members of the Maryland Highway Safety Office staff will discuss the state’s current distracted driving programming and look ahead to future opportunities to raise awareness. Presenters will summarize some key learnings from the Maryland Distracted Driving Summit and provide actionable next steps for attendees.
Register Here