The Month of April is:

It’s time to “Put it Down”

Drivers simply can’t do two things at once. Period.

With the ever increasing demands on our personal and professional time in today’s busy society, learning to juggle multiple tasks at once is something we all face daily.  As a result, a new traffic safety epidemic has emerged on America’s roadways that demands immediate attention: distracted driving.

In 2009 alone, nearly 5,500 people were killed and a half million more were injured in distracted driving crashes.  One of the most alarming and widespread forms of distracted driving is cell phone usage.  Cell phone use has grown dramatically in recently years. In 1995, cell phone subscriptions covered only 11% of the United States population; in 2010, that number grew to 93%. This has led to a substantial increase in cell phone use while driving and distracted driving-related deaths.¹A recent report from the National Safety Council found that more than one out of every four traffic accidents is caused by people talking on cell phones or sending text messages.²

The Faces of Distracted Driving: Hear the Stories. Get the Message

So the next time you are pressed for time, and it seems like multitasking in the car is the best decision, remember those 5,500 lives that were taken because someone decided they could do two things at once.  A text or call is not worth your life, or anyone else’s.

Sources:
<sup>1. Get the Facts | FocusDriven.org
2. Distraction.Gov (NHTSA)
3. Get the Facts | FocusDriven.org</sup>

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