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Distracted Driving Awareness
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. Consequently, the chance of a motor vehicle increases with driving distracted. As a result, approximately eight people in the United States pass away and hundreds more are injured in motor vehicle collisions involving a distracted driver.
The Main Types of Distracted Driving
In fact, anything that takes a driver’s attention away from driving can cause distracted driving. 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. Furthermore, 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. Distracted Driving Awareness helps young drivers correct these habits.
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: Texting and driving is six times more likely to cause a car crash 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. Help make the roads safer.
Johnson Law has been helping Alaskans for nearly 30 years. It’s who we are.
And while we hope you never need us… We’re here if you do. ~ Doug Johnson
Sources: National Highway Safety Administration; National Safety Council
Image Source: Official Driving School