In case you haven’t noticed, people are distracted drivers.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted drivers took 3,179 lives in 2014 alone.
More people have cell phones, more people are playing with their entertainment systems, and more people are saying, “I’m a good driver, those accidents will never happen to me.” This illusion of vulnerability is a problem.
Odds are is that most of you reading this article have engaged in some form of distracted driving. Distracted driving can be using your phone, eating or drinking, talking to passengers, reading maps, using navigation systems, or adjusting the music. While driving, we have the temptation to distract ourselves by reading that text or eating that burger; however, no matter how hard it may be, we urge you to reflect on your own driving habits and correct some of these distractions.
To highlight the need for safer, more educated drivers, here are a few distracted driving stats.
- 1 in 3 drivers acknowledge that they text and drive.
- 1 in 10 cars that drive past you admit to either “frequently” or “always” texting and driving.
- When you text, your eyes are off the road for 5 seconds. That means that if you’re driving on the highway going 65 MPH, you’re essentially not looking at the road for the length of a football field.
- When texting and driving, you are 23 times more likely to get into an accident.
- 70% of drivers admit that they’re not good at texting or talking while driving. (Yet, 33% of drivers admit they text and drive.)
- 94% of teenagers say they understand the effects of texting and driving, but 35% of them admitted that the risk deters them from texting and driving.
- About 50% of respondents said that their parents were the most influential when it comes to learning what to do and what not to do behind the wheel.
While these numbers are shocking, and it’s the reality we live in, distracted driving can be changed, reduced, and even stopped. So before you get into your car for tomorrow’s commute, remind yourself of these stats and think twice before opening that text message behind the wheel.
Data from:
- https://www.nhtsa.gov
- http://distracteddriveraccidents.com