Combating Distracted Driving
May 11, 2020
Each day in the United States, approximately 9 people are killed and more than 1,000 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver.
Distracted driving is anything that takes your attention away from the road. This can be anything from changing the station on the radio to answering your cell phone or responding to a text message. The quick few seconds can be a matter of life or death.
There are 3 main types of distracted driving
- Visual: taking your eyes off the road
- Manual: taking your hands off the wheel
- Cognitive: taking your mind off driving
Many distractions exist while driving, but cell phones are a top distraction. So, what is being done to combat distracted driving?
- Many states are enacting laws—such as banning texting while driving or using graduated driver licensing systems for teen drivers—to help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to help prevent it from occurring. However, the effectiveness of cell phone and texting laws on decreasing distracted driving-related crashes requires further study. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety keeps track of distracted driving laws.
- As of March 2019, 16 states and the District of Columbia had banned drivers from hand-held phone use.
- As of March 2019, texting while driving is banned in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Two additional states ban texting while driving for new drivers.
- Some local governments also have bans on cell phone use and texting while driving.
Want to learn more and how to prevent distracted driving. Check out the websites below.
https://www.nsc.org/road-safety/safety-topics/distracted-driving
https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/distracted_driving/index.html