Did you know that April is “Distracted Driver Awareness” month? According to the National Safety Council, 40,000 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2018, which is a staggering 14% higher than in 2014. Most of these accidents are preventable, and together we can reduce that number by being intentional while we are behind the wheel. Some things we can do:
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Put the cell phone away. 1.6 million crashes every year are caused by the driver’s use of a cell phone.
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Take a defensive driving course. No matter how long we’ve been driving, a refresher can only improve our skills.
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Stay alert with eyes on the road. Actively watch for animals, pedestrians, and other drivers.
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Only drive sober. 10,000 people die in drunk driving crashes every year, and the most recent statistics (2016) show that 43.6% of drivers in a crash test positive for drugs.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Anything that causes us to take our eyes off of the road and/or our hands off of the wheel is dangerous. All it takes is a second for something to go wrong; let’s all take some responsibility and make sure we are driving as safely as possible each time we get into our vehicles.
Source: National Safety Council, www.nsc.org
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, www.nhtsa.gov
National Institutes of Health, www.nih.gov