Distracted Driving Month

There used to be a time that the only thing you had to worry about distracting you from driving were the people in the vehicle with you and picking one of the few stations available on the radio. Now you can add answering phone calls, texts, checking social media, following your Navigation System, picking a station to listen to out of hundreds available, passengers trying to take your attention, eating, and the list goes on and on. Now more then ever it’s important to build the habits that keep you safe by using only hands-free devices., leaving your phone alone, and not answering texts or social media.

Here are some key points to remember:

• Fatalities involving texting while driving comprised 9% of all fatal crashes nationwide.
• Texting while driving is 6 times more likely to cause an accident than drunk driving.
• The average text takes 5 seconds to respond, which means that a vehicle driving at 55 mph will have traveled the distance of a football field.
• Even the use of hands-free for your cell phones delays a driver’s reaction time similar to having a blood-alcohol level of .08%.
• Using a cell phone while driving caused an estimated 1.5 million car crashes in the U.S. in 2017.
• 4,637 people died in car crashes in 2018 due to cell phone use.
• Distracted Driving tickets in Michigan can cost you $100 – $200. The Nationwide average is $116.

Remember that the most important thing to do while driving is to pay attention to the task at hand.