Do Your Part To Make Distracted Driver Awareness Month a Success

In 2016, 3,450 individuals lost their lives to distracted driving. Cellphones, GPS systems and radios were major contributing factors in these fatalities, but technology is not completely to blame. Drivers have been known to become distracted by food, which they attempt to scarf down between appointments. Many get distracted by lost items, unfinished morning routines (putting on makeup, brushing their teeth, applying deodorant, etc.) or even other passengers. In fact, approximately 15 percent of distracted driving accidents are the result of drivers interacting with one or more passengers. 

Educate Yourself on the Causes of Distracted Driving

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This coming month, in honor of distracted driving awareness month, we invite you to do your part to bring awareness to the dangers of distracted driving and take measures to reduce incident rates. You can begin by learning what the three major cause of distracted driving are:

• Manual distractions, which require you to take your hands off the wheel
• Visual distraction, which force you to take your eyes off the road
• Cognitive distractions, which remove your mind from the task at hand (driving)

 
Regardless of how careful of a driver you are, chances are you've fallen victim to one or all of the above distractions. This month, force yourself to be intentional in your driving and to identify and stop your bad driving tendencies before you have a chance to follow through with them. 

Active Measures You Can Take To Keep Our Roads Safer

It's not enough to educate yourself on the dangers of distracted driving. To have a real positive impact on our roads, share your knowledge and encourage others to participate in the movement. Some things you can do today to make our roads safer tomorrow are as follows:

• Lead by example. Never let cell phones, food, passengers or other distractions take your attention away from the road.
• Inform your teen driver of all the responsibilities that come with having a driver's license. If necessary, remind him or her that in many states, those with a probationary license can have their license suspended or delayed if caught driving while distracted.
• Encourage your teen to speak up when he or she is in the vehicle with a friend who is driving distractedly. 

Extend Your Knowledge to the Workplace

​Employers have a huge influence over their workers, which they should take advantage of by making distracted driving awareness a part of their workplace safety culture. Though you cannot control how employees act outside of the office, you can encourage them to think twice about their decisions. For instance, if you make texting while driving the company vehicle a suspension-warranting offense, drivers may be more inclined to place their phones in the glovebox before putting the vehicle (whether company or personal) in drive. If you add distracted driving awareness courses to your ongoing training schedule, the lessons employees learn during those courses may stick with them after hours. 

Get More Information on How You Can Help End Distracted Driving Accidents

​Distracted driving is a pervasive problem and, as such, it is one that benefits from nationwide awareness. To learn more about how you can raise awareness both in and out of the workplace, contact Sackett & Associates online. You can also like us on Facebook, find us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our blog for updates and information.