Smith System Produces New Video Dealing with Driving Distractions Click here to View

Arlington, Texas ­ October 8, 2007 – Smith System, the leader in professional driver training, today announced a new driver safety video focused on the critical issue of driving distractions.

Cell Phones, Navigation Systems, Text Messaging, iPods, MP3s, In-Car DVDs, Fast Food … The explosion of vehicle electronics and “eat while you drive” fast food now makes concentrating on your driving more difficult than ever before. Even if you are not distracted, the chances are, someone else is. Every driver needs to be prepared for the things that happen when our driving focus becomes blurred by our new technology. Are You Playing with a Full Deck, the latest in Smith System’s driver safety videos, makes your drivers more aware of driving distractions.

Have you ever found yourself talking on your cell phone, eating a double cheeseburger and steering with your knees as you “drive” to an appointment? The fact is, we are all multi-tasking these days and handling three things at once has become the norm. Unfortunately, the result is less attention to the real task of driving your vehicle and we are seeing the negative effects of that everyday. NHTSA now says, “driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes. Nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involve some form of inattention within three seconds of the event.” (Source – NHTSA 2006 Report)

In this video, Smith System uses the metaphor of a 52-card deck of playing cards to make drivers aware of how distractions reduce their safety. “Playing with a full deck” means that drivers are fully focused on the driving task at hand and are using the Smith5KeysSM driving method to be prepared for other drivers who are not. To learn more and view a preview of the new video, go to www.smith-system.com.

About Smith System
Smith System Driver Improvement Institute, Inc. was founded in 1952 as the nation's first fleet driver safety training organization with on-road, hands-on safety education techniques for experienced drivers. Smith System delivers behind the wheel instruction to more than 15,000 fleet drivers each year and has presented their program in 70 countries. In the past decade, Smith has provided services to more than half of the current Fortune 500® fleets and is the only company in the industry that guarantees the quality of their training. In addition to its on-road training and extensive video and DVD library, the company offers web-based education and fleet monitoring.

Media Contacts:
Frank Powers
Smith System
800-777-7648

Valerie Chereskin
Chereskin Communications
760-942-3116