Law of the Month – April, 2020: Inattentive Driving 346.89
As some of you may know, the month of April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month. One of the biggest distractions while driving is the cell phones that we have and
carry around with us. Often while we are driving, we hear our cell phones go off and check to see who texted us. We do this without being aware of the consequences that could follow. Maybe you are aware of the potential consequences, you just ignore them because the text is too important or “it won’t happen to me”. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off of the road for an average of 5 seconds. If you are driving at 55 mph, that is equivalent to driving the length of a football field without looking. When you text and drive, not only are you putting your own life at risk, but you are putting other lives at risk. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving killed 2,841 people in 2018, 1,730 drivers, 605 passengers, 400 pedestrians, and 77 bicyclists. Overall, texting while driving results in 1.6 million crashes per year. Texting and driving is not worth the possible consequences. That text will still be there when you arrive at your destination. Here are some things you can do to help break the habit of distracted driving:
1. Keep your phone out of reach and/or out of sight while driving.
2. Turn your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode or turn your phone’s notification volume to silent and keep the vibration function off while in the vehicle.
3. Use an app to block incoming calls or texts while driving.
4. Pull over to a safe location and stop your vehicle entirely to send or read a text message.
Too many lives are impacted by the effects of distracted driving. Let’s all work together to help save lives by making a change.
