“It’s the last day of the #Moisdelasensibilisationàlaconduitedistraite!” The Governor’s Highway Safety Association posted on its online page and on Twitter Sunday morning, the last day of April. habit that can keep you and your loved ones safe. “
When a motive force reads a text while driving, its eyes move away from the road for an average of five seconds, the protective device noted. At 55 miles per hour it’s like walking around a football box blindfolded.
On Saturday, the nonprofit representing the state’s highway safety offices wrote, “Whatever your plans, make sure you and your loved ones travel safely. Take a break with your phone every time you take the wheel.
And the day before: “Multitasking may be suitable for home or work, but never behind the wheel. Focus on the road to protect yourself, your loved ones and everyone around you. “
Each message was accompanied by a symbol of an April calendar, with the day of publication in a circle. Previous broadcasts this month discussed how no one is immune to distraction, how young drivers and young adults are more likely to take care of a mobile phone while driving, which increases the threat of an accident, and how parents can adopt smart behavior.
The month-long social media crusade is part of advocacy efforts by the protection group Distracted Driving Awareness Month, both held in April. wheel.
The purpose is to urge “drivers to take a break with their phones every time they drive during the month,” Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, said in a statement, “to form a lifelong protective habit that can protect not only themselves and their loved ones, but also themselves. but to each and every one of those who fill the way with them.
Distracted driving has a fatal epidemic on U. S. roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it killed another 3522 people in 2021 and more than 32,000 since 2012.
In 2019, distracted driving accidents claimed about $98. 2 billion, accounting for about 29% of all car accidents and accident-related prices, the largest contributor in the United States.
Road safety experts say the actual numbers may be higher, as many injuries go unreported.
“Cell phone use, specifically, texting, talking and social media, has become the ultimate non-unusual distraction,” the federal firm wrote. “Other diy moves come with tuning into the radio or GPS, putting on makeup, dining and drinking. By driving distracted, you rob yourself of the seconds you might want to avoid a nearby call or fatal accident. Array
Texting, which includes messaging, is considered the most harmful form of distraction when driving because it combines visual, manual and cognitive distraction. “When we are the steering wheel, we have to focus on one task: driving safely. Attention to driving, you are distracted.
Phone use is now so consistent that about a fraction of the 2,000 or so U. S. drivers are in the U. S. U. S. respondents in a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said they performed at least one device-based task on most or all trips in the month prior to participation. in the survey.
Most respondents agreed that distracted driving increases the threat of a twist of fate and that enjoying one reminded them that they could harm or kill someone would motivate them to take steps to avoid distractions. However, drivers who interact with their phones while driving, according to the study, “perceive the threat as less severe and the barriers to abandoning the practice as greater,” the researchers said.
The study found that a multifaceted technique could help end distracted driving. In addition to strengthening legislation and enforcement, protection officers focus on exploiting family and family ties to teach drivers about the severity of a threatening distraction and offer answers to fight the problem.
“It would possibly come as a surprise,” said Aimee Cox, a study associate at the Insurance Institute and leader of the study, “but many drivers still don’t realize how harmful it is to check a text message or look at their News Feed. Instagram as they turn along the highway.
For protection to combat distracted driving, click here.