You’ve seen it. You look over at the car swerving slightly in the lane to your right, only to see the vehicle’s driver looking down at their phone for a moment. You’re in dangerous situation and a moment may be all it takes to forever change your life and countless others.
If you’re honest, you’ve probably been there too.
You’re driving down the road and you hear that enticing ding. A new text message or email or Facebook notification has come in. It will only take a second to see if it’s something that matters or something that can wait. But that second may be the difference between life and death.
Whether it is talking/texting on a cell phone, doing make-up in a rearview mirror or brushing your teeth and changing clothes (that’s a true story), distracted driving is a huge problem. More than 10 fatalities and 1,000 injuries are attributed to distracted driving EVERY DAY. A study by the VTTI (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute) found that a driver takes his/her eyes off of the road for about 4.6 seconds to send/read a text. If that driver is traveling at 55-mph that’s like driving blindfolded for the length of a football field. That’s ridiculous. Studies even suggest that a driver that texts is 6 times more likely to cause an accident than a legally drunk driver.
And it isn’t just the drivers and passengers that are in jeopardy. Pedestrians are also at risk when they are distracted while walking or in the vicinity of distracted drivers.
What Can You Do About it?
Communicate.
Talk to your children, spouse, and employees. Have the conversations to show the risks of distracted driving. A study sponsored by at&t found that people would be more likely change their behaviors of calling/texting while driving if one of the five people that they talk to the most asked them to do so. Create a family and work culture that expects drivers to drive…and that’s it.
Distracted Driving can have unthinkable consequences. Protect your family and your business by doing something about it.
As always, feel free to contact your Compass Insurance Partners Agent for help reviewing your policies.
