Distracted Driving

These days we all lead active, busy lives. We go places in our cars and seem to spend hours on end behind the wheel going from place to place multi-tasking while we drive. That multi-tasking can turn us into a distracted driver. Distracted drivers, we’ve all seen them on the roads, haven’t we?

So, just what makes a person a distracted driver? Texting? YES! Talking on your cell phone, especially when holding it in your hand while driving? YES! Tuning in your favorite radio station? YES! Eating or drinking, putting on makeup or even shaving while driving, driving while tired and sleepy? YES! YES! and YES! Face it, everyone who drives has been a distracted driver at some point and will be again. According to the National Safety Council, more than 40,000 people were killed in motor vehicle fatalities in 2018. From cell phones to dashboard infotainment systems to evolving voice command features, all pose a threat to our safety. Just one second of your attention is all takes to change a life forever. It has been proven that drivers who are talking on their phone, hand-held or hands-free, miss seeing up to 50% of what is going on around them such as other drivers, pedestrians, motorcycles and, bicycles. If you take your eyes off the road for just five seconds while traveling at 55 MPH you will travel the length of a football field during those five seconds. It’s like you are driving blind!

Many people think that all the new safety technology built into vehicles these days will make your car even safer. While this may be true to some degree, it has been proven that this technology can divert a driver’s attention causing them to become a distracted driver. The National Safety Council goes on to say that 80% of drivers mistakenly believe that hands-free devices are safer than hand-held and 53% of drivers believe that hands-free features must be safe if they are built into a vehicle. The fact is that hands-free features can increase mental distraction. They are about convenience NOT SAFETY! The following common tasks should NEVER be done while driving: talking on the phone, checking email, posting on social media, ordering takeout food.

Next time you get into your vehicle to go somewhere whether it is just around the corner to get some milk or for a cross-country trip the National Safety Council advises you to avoid the dash to the dashboard. Turn off your cell phone, make sure you’ve had enough sleep, NEVER drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.