Preventable Injuries/Fatalities Due to Distracted Driving: A Call for a Coordinated Action

In the past decade, distracted driving has emerged as one of the most prominent global road safety concerns. The singular and combined efforts of many organizations, such as Drop It And Drive (DIAD) and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), have identified the need for partnerships, shared information, and access to interpretable research findings to guide decision making and to identify effective strategies to reduce, if not eliminate, preventable injuries/fatalities from distracted driving, including whiplash-associated disorders. This editorial describes activities in 5 target areas identified in our environmental scan in Canada: (1) provincial/territorial government strategies, (2) enforcement, (3) data collection and measurement, (4) awareness campaigns, and (5) legislation. We will also reinforce the potential benefits of seeking and establishing meaningful interdisciplinary partnerships to reduce distracted driving across the globe. Finally, this editorial provides an example of how these interdisciplinary partnerships can help reduce preventable, life-altering injuries/deaths caused by distracted driving. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(10):818-821. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.0113.