Distracted Driving Kills - Recognizing and Addressing the Issue

June is National Safety Month, an excellent time to recognize the dangers of distracted driving and begin to break old habits in order to develop newer, safer ones. Each year, over 3,000 people lose their lives and an additional 400,000 are injured due to distracted driving. Unfortunately, this figure rises by about 9 percent every year. What exactly is distracted driving, and what does it cause?

Three Categories of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving takes one of three forms:

Visual distractions, which take the eyes off the roadManual distractions, which take the hands off the wheelCognitive distractions, which take the mind off driving

Obviously, activities like texting and talking on your cell phone cause all three types of distractions at once, making it a particularly hazardous form of distracted driving. Any form of distracted driving increases a driver's chances of being involved in an accident by three times. The chance of distractions causing an accident for first time drivers is even greater.

A List of Common Driving Distractions

Though texting is most often cited, distracted driving takes a number of other forms. Any of these activities can lead to death or severe injury:

Phone callsEating or drinkingTalking to passengersGroomingReading (including road maps)Using the vehicle's navigation system (including a cell phone)Fiddling with audio controls (such as the radio, CD player, or MP3 player)

Basically, anything that takes your mind, eyes, or hands off the task of driving is a distraction and can lead to disaster. When you take your eyes off the road for only five seconds, moving at just 55 mph, the vehicle travels the entire length of a football field.

Unfortunately, there is no indication that using a headset is safer than using the handset of a cell phone, as headsets also distract the driver's vision, manual control of the vehicle, and most importantly, their cognitive focus on driving. Since you can only control your own driving habits, and not those of other drivers on the roadway, defensive driving courses are an excellent resource for learning to drive safely.

Combating Distracted Driving

Most states have laws restricting the use of distractions like cell phones and texting, but it is difficult to regulate distractions such as combing hair, putting on makeup, or eating a hamburger. In the end, it is up to each driver to commit to eliminating distractions and keeping their total focus on the safety of their passengers and others sharing the roadway.

Some good habits for safe, undistracted driving include:

Waking up on time and getting ready before you leave homeTaking a few extra minutes to stop and enjoy a meal or snack while the vehicle is stoppedMake use of safe pull-offs available for texting and making or receiving phone callsStudy your route carefully before leaving so you don't have to take your eyes and mind off the road for directionsInvest in traffic school to learn how to avoid distractions and other dangers

Arriving late is always a better solution than not arriving to your destination at all. When driving, keep your focus where it should be so you and everyone else can stay safe.

Resources:

http://www.distraction.gov/content/get-the-facts/facts-and-statistics.htmlhttp://www.distraction.gov/http://www.cdc.gov/Motorvehiclesafety/Distracted_Driving/http://www.textinganddrivingsafety.com/texting-and-driving-stats/NTSI offers defensive driving courses for a variety of situations, including employer mandates, court orders, to reduce insurance premiums, and even to reduce the number of violation points on a motor vehicle report. Classes are available in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. Mobile classes are also available.