April is the time to focus on the consequences of distracted driving, which means you are encouraged to focus on eliminating the bad habits you may have while driving. There is a wide variety of actions that can distract you from driving safely, so chances are good that you can improve your driving by taking a few suggestions into account.
Distracted driving contributes to hundreds of thousands of injuries and deaths each year. In 2011 in Maryland, 231 people died in distracted driver involved crashes. Driving is a huge responsibility and deserves your full attention. Eating or drinking, adjusting the radio, inserting a CD, talking to passengers, or using a cell phone while driving a motor vehicle can distract a driver.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes in stopping distracted driving so much that its officials created a website to help the cause. Distraction.gov features statistics on distracted driving, including the following facts:
• Drivers who text message may be 23 times more likely to get into a car accident.
• Cell phone usage while driving is as dangerous as having a blood alcohol level of .08.
Many drivers see these facts and ignore them because they assume they will be the exception to the statistics.
The following are the most common ways that people are distracted while driving:
• Text messaging.
• Talking on the cell phone, whether it’s handheld or has an earpiece.
• Applying makeup or combing hair.
• Changing CDs, radio stations, or iPods/iPads.
• Paying attention to a navigation system.
• Talking to others in the car.
• Eating.
• Reading paper maps or directions
Of course, the drivers of passenger vehicles are not the only common offenders. Truck drivers often display these same habits, and the results are frequently even deadlier due to the size of their vehicle. When you consider how long truck drivers spend in their truck, it makes sense to urge them to take the same kind of stand against distracted driving that many teenagers are.
The good news is that reports show that the majority of drivers are aware that the listed distractions are not good habits to have. However, the trouble is getting them to stop displaying these bad practices. Hopefully campaigns like this one will eventually turn the grim statistics around so that fewer people are injured or killed as a result of drivers eating, texting, or practicing other distracting habits.
Make responsible choices when you get behind the wheel:
- Always buckle up
- Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road
- Pull over to consult a map or GPS, or have a passenger navigate for you
- Never use text messaging, Web browsing, or e-mail while operating a vehicle
- Pull off the roadway to deal with children in the back seat or to secure pets
- Complete personal grooming before you get behind the wheel of your vehicle
- Avoid leaning over to find fallen items such as sunglasses, purses, coins, etc.; wait until you are stopped to look for items inside the vehicle
- During heavy traffic or poor driving conditions, refrain from using a cell phone.
DON’T BE DISTRACTED – DRIVE RESPONSIBLY!
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