Distracted driving is a growing – and dangerous – recurring event in the United States. Distracted driving is any activity that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off driving.
A study through the National Institutes of Health found that drivers eat, reach for the phone, text, or otherwise take their eyes off the road about 10 percent of the time. This behavior can endanger the drivers, passengers and bystanders.
Distracted driving can include a myriad of activities, including:
- Texting
- Talking on a cell phone
- Looking at a GPS system
- Eating or drinking
- Grooming
- Talking to passengers
- Adjusting the radio
- Reaching for items elsewhere in the car
Probably the most alarming distraction of all is text messaging because it requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver. Five seconds is the average time someone’s eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.
With summer vacations in full swing, many of us will be driving to our destinations. Let’s remove our distractions and pay attention to road. The simplest and most effective way to do this is to turn off your cell phone when you turn on the car ignition. It’s simple.