April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Distracted driving is driving while engaged in another activity that takes a driver’s attention away from driving. It increases a person’s chance of being involved in a motor vehicle collision. Every day, approximately eight people in the United States pass away and hundreds more are injured due to motor vehicle collisions involving a distracted driver.
The Main Types of Distractions While Driving
Anything that takes a driver’s attention away from driving can be a distraction. There are four main types of distractions:
- Visual: taking the eyes off the road
- Auditory: hearing something not related to driving
- Manual: taking the hands off the wheel of the motor vehicle
- Cognitive: taking the mind off driving
The Demographic Most At Risk
The demographic most at risk for distracted driving are young adult and teen drivers between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. The activity distracted drivers most often engage in? Texting and driving. Remember, when driving at highway speeds, if a person takes their eyes away from the road for even a matter of five seconds, that’s the equivalent of driving the length of a football field distracted.
What To Keep In Mind: Distracted Driving Awareness Month
- The Risk: Text messaging increases the risk of accidents or near accidents by 23 times.
- It’s Illegal: Forty-three out of fifty states have laws that prohibit texting and driving.
- It’s Worse Than Drunk Driving: Those texting and driving are six times more likely to wreck their vehicle than drivers over the legal drinking limit.
- Take the NSC Just Drive Pledge: Commit to driving distraction-free by taking the NSC Just Drive Pledge and help make the roads safer for everyone.
The Merdes Law Firm has been helping injured Alaskans for more than 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us … We’re here if you do. ~ Ward Merdes
Info Source: NSC.org; NationalToday.com; and CDC.gov
Photo Source: TheNewsWheel.com
