National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

In 2012, 3,328 people died in a distracted-affected crash and 421,000 people were injured due to crashes involving a distracted driver. Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from focusing on driving.  These distractions can not only affect you, but anyone around you. Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is the most disturbing distraction. According to National Occupant Protection Use Surveys, NOPUS, at any given moment in America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using their cell phones or electronic devices while driving. That is a disturbing statistic.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and we are teaming up with distraction.gov and trafficsafetymarketing.gov to help encourage and promote distracted free driving. By driving without the use of your cellphone or any electronic devices you can keep the roads safe and protect more individuals from injury or death.  Sending and receiving a text can take your eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds which is the equivalent –at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind.

Many people already know how dangerous distracted driving is, but still choose to do so regardless. We would urge you to consider these studies and facts every time you get into a vehicle. Making safe choices and encouraging others around you to do the same can spark great change.  Statistics apply to everyone and no one has the ability to defy the odds.

To help us fight to end distracted driving, sign the pledge today and make the commitment to drive phone-free. http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-involved/take-the-pledge.html

Source: Distraction.gov