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| Car Source: Jason Weaver, cc-by-3.0, flickr |
Most people fear one thing or another, whether its clowns, spiders or even airplanes. But there is one daily activity that is more deadly than all of those fears combined: driving. More often than not this already dangerous part of your day is made worse by the numerous distractions drivers face. Multi-tasking is the game in this day and age, but the last thing anyone should be doing while driving is diverting their attention from the road. Keep reading for eye-opening statistics that will make you think twice before you go to send that text or grab a french fry while behind the wheel.
The Deadly Distraction
Distracted driving is defined as any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. The most common problem that we face today with distracted driving is text messaging. Text messaging completely takes your attention away from the road. You need to look at your phone, think about something other than what you are doing now (driving), find who you want to text, and so on. By the time you have done all this and look back up at the road, you may find yourself in oncoming traffic or in a ditch on the side of the road. Other popular distractions include talking on your cell phone, eating, and using your navigation system.
It Can Always Wait
Now lets think about this for a second. Are you really in that big of a rush that you cannot wait a few minutes to text someone? Are you that hungry that you cannot wait to get home to open up your fast food bag and indulge in your super sized french fries and big mac? The answer should be no. You should never be too busy to be safe. It always makes sense to wait and be safe.
A study shows that the number of people killed in distraction-related crashes was at 3,328 in 2012. The same study also showed that an estimated 421,000 people were harmed in motor accidents involving a distracted driver. This is no small number here folks. This is a huge problem that needs to be fixed. It is simple to fix too: people just need to understand the dangers of distracted driving and fix their bad habits. Most states have already implemented laws which prohibit you from using a cell phone while driving. One of the smartest laws to date in my opinion.
Conclusion
So next time you are driving, make sure that you think about what you are doing before you actually DO it. If you find yourself driving and text messaging someone you should immediately put your phone down. As stated above, it is not only dangerous but also against the law. If you are one of the people who finds themselves eating in the car, talking on the phone or just rushing to get stuff done while driving in general, you need to set a better plan for yourself. Leave yourself enough time in the day so that you do not need to mix other activities in with driving. If you follow these simple steps and remember that it always important to wait a few minutes to make that call or text, you should have no distractions on the road and be well on your way to becoming a safer driver!
This article was written by Colin Quinn. Colin is a content creator for Rue, Ziffra & Caldwell who are local attorney's in the Daytona Beach area.
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