Let’s be serious, every person, children included, know what distracted driving is and the dangers associated with it. In 2015, the CDC reported that 391,000 people were injured in car accidents involving a distracted driver and 3,477 people were killed. Distracted driving is more than texting, it is any non-driving activity you engage in while driving that is a potential distraction. While April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the dangers and tips to avoid distracted driving should be recognized all year.
Dangers and Tips
Key Facts:
- At 55 mph, the average text takes your eyes off the road for five-seconds or long enough to cover a football field, (nhta.gov).
- As estimated by the National Highway and Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), 660,000 drivers use electronic devices or info screens while driving during the day, (nhta.gov).
- Teen drivers are the largest age group reported to be distracted at the time of a fatal crash but distracted driving is not biased and is participated in by every age, gender and demographic, (nhta.gov).
- Students who text while driving are more likely to ride with an impaired driver or be the impaired driver, (cdc.gov).
- Distracted driving is 100% preventable.
Consequences:
- NHTSA’s national advertising campaign, U Drive. U Text. U Pay, states it loud and clear. Their partnership with state and local law enforcement will equal a crackdown on distracted driving during the month of April.
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- Kansas has a ban on all cell phone use (hands-free and handheld) for drivers 21 years and younger and a ban on texting for drivers of any age.
- Missouri has a ban on texting for drivers 21 years and younger.
Tips:
- Speak up! As a parent, passenger, teen driver or whatever your role may be, let the driver know the dangers of distracted driving and remind them the responsibilities they have as the driver.
- As a driver, Just Drive. Be the example.
Distracted driving awareness month: dangers and tips is a brief discussion around the seriousness of this prevalent yet preventable cause of injury and death. If you or a loved one has been the victim in an accident as the result of distracted driving and you are looking for an experienced personal injury lawyer, consider Reginald Keith Davis, Attorney at Law, dependability you can trust.