Turn on our car - turn off our phones. The National Highway Transportation Association statistics show that, in 2011, distracted driving was the cause of more than 3,300 deaths and almost 400,000 injuries in the United States.
Distracted driving includes talking or texting on the phone, adjusting the radio and driving while drowsy. A recent survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that during the day, more than 660,000 drivers are using their cell phones or using other electronic devices.
Texting means using visual, manual, and mental forms of distraction and is arguably the most dangerous of all distractions on the road. Sending a text takes our eyes off the road for almost 5 whole seconds, the same amount of time taken to travel the length of a football field at just 55 miles per hour.
To note, most states (including Colorado) ban the use of texting while driving. In addition, the Department of Revenue will suspend your driving privileges if you get too many tickets and points! Yikes!
So share this blog with your texting teens and bring up a conversation at home. We want to know: what’s the craziest thing you’ve seen someone do while attempting to drive?
Sources:
Today’s Insurance Professionals Magazine
www.thebrightonbuzz.com
http://www.drivinglaws.org/colorado.php
