Every New Year, friends and family make the same resolutions: Get healthy. Eat better. Exercise more. Drop a well-worn bad habit.
While these resolutions aren’t always easy to stick to, you can make one that is specific, measurable and reachable: commit to stop driving while distracted. Focusing on the road can help you prevent a serious car accident and may save someone else’s life – or your own.
Why Now Is the Time to Stop Driving While Distracted
How many drivers are killed or injured in a distracted-driving crash each day? The answer may surprise you.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,328 people lost their lives in distracted-driving accidents in a single recent year, and over 421,000 others were injured. These numbers were higher than both the number of distracted-driving deaths and injuries in the previous year. Even though deadly car accidents on U.S. roads have decreased overall, accidents caused by distractions have exploded.
At any given moment, NHTSA estimates that 660,000 drivers nationwide are using cell phones, GPS devices or other distracting tech while driving. And technology isn’t the only distraction that can cause harm. Eating, smoking, listening to music, having an intense conversation or a multitude of other non-driving activities can also distract drivers, causing a crash.
Easy Steps for Focusing on the Road in 2015
How can you make a New Year’s resolution you can keep when it comes to distracted driving? Try implementing these tips:
Avoid the worst distractions. Distractions make it more dangerous to drive when they take a driver’s mind off the task of driving, a driver’s hands off the wheel or a driver’s eyes off the road. The most dangerous distractions, like texting, do all three. When looking for places to reduce distraction, start with the behaviors that distract your mind, hands and eyes the most.
Plan ahead. Many distractions behind the wheel occur “in the moment,” when a driver receives a call or text, wants to change the radio station or needs to reconfigure the GPS system. By setting up hands-free dialing, GPS coordinates or song preferences before you put the car in gear, you can reduce the temptation to tackle these tasks on the road, thus reducing distractions. For best results, don’t just set the phone to hands-free – silence it and tuck it in the console or another place where you won’t be tempted to glance at it while you drive.
Teach by example. Young drivers ages 17-25 are more likely to engage in distracted driving behaviors and are more likely to suffer accidents as a result, according to NHTSA. Make it a rule that young drivers in your household may not use their cell phones unless the car is safely parked. Set an example by following the same rule you require for your young drivers.
Get help quitting. Breaking bad habits is tough. Just ask anyone who has tried to quit smoking. If you or the young drivers in your household need something to boost your willpower to quit driving while distracted, technology may help solve the problem it’s caused. There are a number of apps that can disable the distracting features of your smartphone when you’re behind the wheel, as well as letting parents limit and monitor their kids’ smartphone use while they’re driving.
Even if you manage to kick the distracted driving habit in 2015, it is still possible that you could be involved in a crash caused by another driver who is still addicted to the bad habit. If you or a loved one is harmed in an accident caused by a distracted driver, it is crucial for you to get help from an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Every New Year, friends and family make the same resolutions: Get healthy. Eat better. Exercise more. Drop a well-worn bad habit.
While these resolutions aren’t always easy to stick to, you can make one that is specific, measurable and reachable: commit to stop driving while distracted. Focusing on the road can help you prevent a serious car accident and may save someone else’s life – or your own.
Why Now Is the Time to Stop Driving While Distracted
How many drivers are killed or injured in a distracted-driving crash each day? The answer may surprise you.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,328 people lost their lives in distracted-driving accidents in a single recent year, and over 421,000 others were injured. These numbers were higher than both the number of distracted-driving deaths and injuries in the previous year. Even though deadly car accidents on U.S. roads have decreased overall, accidents caused by distractions have exploded.
At any given moment, NHTSA estimates that 660,000 drivers nationwide are using cell phones, GPS devices or other distracting tech while driving. And technology isn’t the only distraction that can cause harm. Eating, smoking, listening to music, having an intense conversation or a multitude of other non-driving activities can also distract drivers, causing a crash.
Easy Steps for Focusing on the Road in 2015
How can you make a New Year’s resolution you can keep when it comes to distracted driving? Try implementing these tips:
Even if you manage to kick the distracted driving habit in 2015, it is still possible that you could be involved in a crash caused by another driver who is still addicted to the bad habit. If you or a loved one is harmed in an accident caused by a distracted driver, it is crucial for you to get help from an experienced personal injury lawyer.