Distracted Driving Awareness
According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, almost 9% of fatalities from motor vehicle accidents in 2021 involved distracted driving. In addition to the fatalities, there were over 424,000 people injured in motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers. Unfortunately, this is a statistic that continues to increase.
To combat this trend, we must understand more about how our driving behaviors translate into distracted driving.
TYPES OF DISTRACTIONS
VISUAL
- Distraction-free driving is more than your driving. Other drivers, pedestrians, and animals can all make bad decisions that impact you while behind the wheel. The driving situation can change quickly. It only takes half a second for another driver to decide to run a red light, or look at their phone to read a text and miss your brake lights.
MANUAL
- Keep your hands on the wheel! If something slides across the seat, or your cell phone rings while you are driving, leave it alone! You can deal with it when you are stopped. If you cannot wait, find a safe place to pull over, stop, and address the distraction. Letting go of the steering wheel, even for a brief second is enough to cause an accident.
TEXTING
- Of all the dangers on the road, cell phone usage while driving is considered by experts as the most dangerous form of distraction. Sending or reading a text while driving takes your focus off of the road for an average of five seconds. At an average speed of 55mph, that is nearly the same as driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
COGNITIVE
- Have you ever arrived at your destination only to be surprised you made it there? A frequently driven route can send our minds into "auto-pilot" allowing our brain to wander away from the task of driving and focus on the next task at hand. Be present and aware while driving. Create good habits, and set a good example for those around you.
