Did you know that April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month*? Although it didn’t exist just four years ago, the extensive use of cell phones and texting while driving has brought this safety issue into the forefront with parents, teens, employers, community groups and legislators. In just the first three months of 2014, there have been an estimated 233,133 crashes involving drivers using cell phones and texting in the US (Source: National Safety Council: Cell Phone Crash Estimate Model).
Consider these statistics:
- Drivers talking on handheld or hands-free cell phones are four times (4x) as likely to be involved in a car crash
- The National Safety Council currently estimates that people talking on cell phones while driving are involved in 21% of all traffic crashes in the United States
- Text messaging while driving contributes to 4% of crashes
- The average cost of a property damage crash in 2011: $9,100
- Drivers talking on cell phones can miss seeing up to 50% of their driving environments, including pedestrians and red lights
- Car crashes are the number one (#1) cause of workplace deaths
Are you still taking chances and using your cell phone (either hand-held or hands-free) while driving? Please take the time to think about these statistics and look at the additional data and valuable information compiled by the National Safety Council and the US Government on the consequences of distracted driving. Share what you learn with friends, family and co-workers. You could help save a life.
Philadelphia Insurance Companies is offering a free, online distracted driver training course to help educate people to be safer behind the wheel. Click here to view the training video now.
Follow these links for more Distracted Driving research and statistics:
Distraction.gov – the official US Government website for Distracted Driving
*National Distracted Driving Awareness Month was introduced as a resolution in 2010 by former Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO) and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in a 410-2 vote on March 23, 2010. (Source: www.nsc.org)
Connect with Stacey on LInkedIn or e-mail her at smarkel@rcmd.com