After four hours of waiting, Sarah Wilson, RN, BSN, was eager to hear an update from the trauma surgeon about her younger brother. Earlier that morning, Wilson’s 55-year-old brother David Muslovski had been taking his usual 5-mile morning walk on a rural road in Ohio when he was struck by a car, which then rolled over him. He had started a morning walk routine in preparation for retirement, which he planned to enjoy with his wife.
The surgeon explained that her brother had suffered a massive hemorrhage resulting from a severely fractured pelvis and lacerated liver. Wilson, who worked as a clinical director of the ED at a different hospital, sobbed when the surgeon said her brother probably would not make it. She later learned he had been hit by a 19-year-old driver who was texting while driving. Wilson’s brother died two hours later June 17.
In the past two to three years, nurses such as Wilson, who works at East Liverpool City Hospital in Ohio, have observed an increase in the number of patients admitted because of car accident-related injuries caused by drivers who were distracted while using mobile devices, a disturbing trend that is surfacing in EDs and trauma centers throughout the country.
According to the National Safety Council, at least 28% of all traffic crashes are caused by drivers who are using cell phones or texting while behind the wheel, which is 1.6 million accidents per year. Data from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute suggests texting and driving is the most dangerous combination. The institute’s studies show drivers may increase their risk of a crash or near-crash event by more than 23 times when they are texting and driving.
Cognizant of the consequences of distracted driving, emergency and trauma nurses and hospitals are teaming up with law enforcement officials and legislators to get the word out that mixing mobile technology with driving can be dangerous.
“I hope we can raise awareness about the dangers of it,” Wilson says. “A bright light in my life was snuffed out because it was more important to send a message than pay attention to driving. It’s nonsense.”
Risky Business
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 11% of all drivers at any given time are using cell phones. To investigate the risks of mobile device use while driving, the VTTI used sophisticated cameras and instrumentation to continuously observe drivers for more than 6 million miles on the road. VTTI’s research showed drivers who were texting had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, which is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field at 55 mph. Even though texting posed the greatest risk of a crash event, even dialing while driving increased the risk by almost threefold.
For nurses such as Lynne Grief, RN, CEN, PhD, nursing director for the Emergency Care Center at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System in Florida, studies like this only confirm what she has observed in the ED. In the past year she has seen a noticeable increase in the number of patients admitted after car accidents involving a distracted driver.
In May, a man in his early 20s was hospitalized after he was broadsided by a woman who had driven through a stop sign while texting. The young man had not been wearing a seatbelt and he was ejected from his car. He died shortly after arrival.
To educate employees and the public about the dangers of distracted driving, Sarasota joined with its primary trauma partner, Bayfront Medical Center, for a joint news briefing in May to address this issue. During the briefing, trauma and emergency care providers talked about how trauma accidents are preventable, and that texting and driving is risky behavior. After the briefing, participants were asked to take a pledge not to text and drive.
In July, emergency and trauma employees at Bayhealth Medical Center in Delaware launched a public awareness campaign after the state's governor signed legislation banning texting and the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Throughout Delaware the hospital erected eight billboards with the slogan “Texting and Driving? C U in our ER” and started running public service radio announcements warning against the dangers of texting and driving.
“The potential to prevent injury was the primary motivation for Bayhealth’s decision to support the passage of the bill,” says Deborah Eberly, RN, BSN, CEN, CNML, trauma program coordinator. “We knew it was an important piece of legislation from a trauma perspective, and it gave us the opportunity to educate our employees and the community about safe driving practices.”
As of July, eight states have banned the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Thirty ban texting and driving. To encourage more lawmakers to ban mobile device use while driving, the Emergency Nurses Association plans to add a category this year for distracted driving laws in their State Scorecard on Roadway Safety. The scorecard is a review and ranking of all the states based on the number and types of safety laws they have. This scorecard has been used in the past by nurses who lobby for safer driving laws.
Teens in Trouble
Although drivers of all ages might be guilty at some point of being distracted while dialing, texting or talking on the phone, statistics suggest raising awareness among teens is critical. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, one in three 16- and 17-year-olds who use text messaging say they have done so while driving. The same report states that 40% of teens ages 12 to 17 say they have been in the car when a driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.
According to a study published in May by the Texas Transportation Institute, this behavior is translating to higher rates of crash fatalities among teens. The study found in the past decade there has been a 10% increase in nighttime fatal crashes for drivers ages 16 to 19 in the U.S., and this is likely because of driver distraction caused by talking or texting on a cell phone.
To reach teens in Columbus, Ga., Jack Rodgers, RN, NREMT-P, clinical coordinator of the ED at St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, narrates a local public safety demonstration that reaches more than 3,000 teens a year. The annual program, which started 10 years ago, previously focused on the dangers of drunken driving. Two years ago, the presenters decided to add texting to the program because the alcohol problem was trending down and the texting problem was escalating, Rodgers says.
During the presentation, teens watch the dramatization of the stories of four high school students. Two are on their way home from a party where they had been drinking. The drunken driver is texting and crosses the center line and hits a car with two other students. After a loud explosion, the audience sees two mangled cars on the stage with four students inside. One is dead and one is seriously injured. Complete with a body bag and other props, the students see firsthand the risk of distracted driving.
For Rodgers, who also works part-time as a paramedic, the need for education is reiterated often when he is called to car crash scenes.
“I’m a big proponent of big brother stepping in,” he says. “There needs to be a federal regulation that spells out what drivers can do. I think that will make things easier to enforce. People should not use handheld devices that take their eyes off the road.”
For Sarah Wilson, raising awareness about this issue not only feels like her responsibility as a nurse, but it also is a source of comfort as she grieves the loss of her brother. She has written a letter to her senator about her brother’s story and plans to approach hospital administrators about starting a public awareness campaign.
“We need people to understand the consequences,” says Wilson. “The 19-year-old driver could always check her messages, but we can never get my brother back.”
Heather Stringer is a freelance writer.
The surgeon explained that her brother had suffered a massive hemorrhage resulting from a severely fractured pelvis and lacerated liver. Wilson, who worked as a clinical director of the ED at a different hospital, sobbed when the surgeon said her brother probably would not make it. She later learned he had been hit by a 19-year-old driver who was texting while driving. Wilson’s brother died two hours later June 17.
In the past two to three years, nurses such as Wilson, who works at East Liverpool City Hospital in Ohio, have observed an increase in the number of patients admitted because of car accident-related injuries caused by drivers who were distracted while using mobile devices, a disturbing trend that is surfacing in EDs and trauma centers throughout the country.
According to the National Safety Council, at least 28% of all traffic crashes are caused by drivers who are using cell phones or texting while behind the wheel, which is 1.6 million accidents per year. Data from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute suggests texting and driving is the most dangerous combination. The institute’s studies show drivers may increase their risk of a crash or near-crash event by more than 23 times when they are texting and driving.
Cognizant of the consequences of distracted driving, emergency and trauma nurses and hospitals are teaming up with law enforcement officials and legislators to get the word out that mixing mobile technology with driving can be dangerous.
“I hope we can raise awareness about the dangers of it,” Wilson says. “A bright light in my life was snuffed out because it was more important to send a message than pay attention to driving. It’s nonsense.”
Risky Business
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 11% of all drivers at any given time are using cell phones. To investigate the risks of mobile device use while driving, the VTTI used sophisticated cameras and instrumentation to continuously observe drivers for more than 6 million miles on the road. VTTI’s research showed drivers who were texting had their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, which is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field at 55 mph. Even though texting posed the greatest risk of a crash event, even dialing while driving increased the risk by almost threefold.
For nurses such as Lynne Grief, RN, CEN, PhD, nursing director for the Emergency Care Center at Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System in Florida, studies like this only confirm what she has observed in the ED. In the past year she has seen a noticeable increase in the number of patients admitted after car accidents involving a distracted driver.
In May, a man in his early 20s was hospitalized after he was broadsided by a woman who had driven through a stop sign while texting. The young man had not been wearing a seatbelt and he was ejected from his car. He died shortly after arrival.
To educate employees and the public about the dangers of distracted driving, Sarasota joined with its primary trauma partner, Bayfront Medical Center, for a joint news briefing in May to address this issue. During the briefing, trauma and emergency care providers talked about how trauma accidents are preventable, and that texting and driving is risky behavior. After the briefing, participants were asked to take a pledge not to text and drive.
In July, emergency and trauma employees at Bayhealth Medical Center in Delaware launched a public awareness campaign after the state's governor signed legislation banning texting and the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Throughout Delaware the hospital erected eight billboards with the slogan “Texting and Driving? C U in our ER” and started running public service radio announcements warning against the dangers of texting and driving.
“The potential to prevent injury was the primary motivation for Bayhealth’s decision to support the passage of the bill,” says Deborah Eberly, RN, BSN, CEN, CNML, trauma program coordinator. “We knew it was an important piece of legislation from a trauma perspective, and it gave us the opportunity to educate our employees and the community about safe driving practices.”
As of July, eight states have banned the use of handheld cell phones while driving. Thirty ban texting and driving. To encourage more lawmakers to ban mobile device use while driving, the Emergency Nurses Association plans to add a category this year for distracted driving laws in their State Scorecard on Roadway Safety. The scorecard is a review and ranking of all the states based on the number and types of safety laws they have. This scorecard has been used in the past by nurses who lobby for safer driving laws.
Teens in Trouble
Although drivers of all ages might be guilty at some point of being distracted while dialing, texting or talking on the phone, statistics suggest raising awareness among teens is critical. According to recent data from the Pew Research Center, one in three 16- and 17-year-olds who use text messaging say they have done so while driving. The same report states that 40% of teens ages 12 to 17 say they have been in the car when a driver used a cell phone in a way that put themselves or others in danger.
According to a study published in May by the Texas Transportation Institute, this behavior is translating to higher rates of crash fatalities among teens. The study found in the past decade there has been a 10% increase in nighttime fatal crashes for drivers ages 16 to 19 in the U.S., and this is likely because of driver distraction caused by talking or texting on a cell phone.
To reach teens in Columbus, Ga., Jack Rodgers, RN, NREMT-P, clinical coordinator of the ED at St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, narrates a local public safety demonstration that reaches more than 3,000 teens a year. The annual program, which started 10 years ago, previously focused on the dangers of drunken driving. Two years ago, the presenters decided to add texting to the program because the alcohol problem was trending down and the texting problem was escalating, Rodgers says.
During the presentation, teens watch the dramatization of the stories of four high school students. Two are on their way home from a party where they had been drinking. The drunken driver is texting and crosses the center line and hits a car with two other students. After a loud explosion, the audience sees two mangled cars on the stage with four students inside. One is dead and one is seriously injured. Complete with a body bag and other props, the students see firsthand the risk of distracted driving.
For Rodgers, who also works part-time as a paramedic, the need for education is reiterated often when he is called to car crash scenes.
“I’m a big proponent of big brother stepping in,” he says. “There needs to be a federal regulation that spells out what drivers can do. I think that will make things easier to enforce. People should not use handheld devices that take their eyes off the road.”
For Sarah Wilson, raising awareness about this issue not only feels like her responsibility as a nurse, but it also is a source of comfort as she grieves the loss of her brother. She has written a letter to her senator about her brother’s story and plans to approach hospital administrators about starting a public awareness campaign.
“We need people to understand the consequences,” says Wilson. “The 19-year-old driver could always check her messages, but we can never get my brother back.”
Heather Stringer is a freelance writer.
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