Distracted Driving - An Alarming Trend

Vehicles were made for transportation, serving as a way to get passengers safely from point A to point B. However, with our busy lives and over-full schedules we often treat them like a sort of mobile dining room/bathroom/office combo.

Driving demands are full attention requiring the use of our visual, auditory, manual and cognitive skills. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 9 people are killed every day in the U.S. as a result of a crash involving a distracted driver.

Texting and Driving
“Most people think ‘texting’ when hear the words ‘distracted driving’ and it is the most alarming distraction,” said Elayne Sinclair, Safe Kids Coordinator at Catawba Valley Medical Center.“Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. If someone asked you to close your eyes for five seconds while driving you would think they were crazy, yet people do this every day.” What’s even scarier is that, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at any given moment, about 660,000 drivers are handling cell phones or other electronic devices while driving in the USA.

What are the rules for texting and driving in North Carolina?
According to the DMV website, all drivers in North Carolina are banned from texting while their vehicle is in motion. This means that they are not allowed to compose, read or send text messages or e-mails while driving. This includes while stopped at traffic lights and stop signs. If your car is in drive – you are driving!

Distracted driving poses a risk to everyone on the road and remains a significant contributor to motor vehicle crashes. According to the NHTSA, driver distraction is a factor in approximately 16% of crashes. In 2015, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

What are other forms of distracted driving?

  • Eating and/or drinking
  • Talking to and interacting with passengers, including children
  • Adjusting the stereo, entertainment or navigation system
  • Grooming (this includes makeup application)
  • Reaching for items while driving

Are you guilty of driving distracted? It’s never too late to change your habits and it’s never too early to start teaching the new or soon-to-be drivers the importance of being full present when driving and the seriousness of the consequences if they aren’t.

Safe kids Catawba County works with area high schools offering a distracted driving presentation for students in Driver’s Ed. Our hope is that we can educate these young drivers before they start to develop bad habits. Safe kids is also part of a Distracted Driving Initiative sponsoring a competition at all high schools using the EverDrive App. EverDrive is a free mobile app that enables users to measure and improve their driving skills. I challenge you all to download this app and see if you are as attentive a driver as you think you are.

For more information or resources on distracted driving you can contact Elayne Sinclair or visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.

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