This April, the U.S. government has teamed up with local and state law enforcement to raise awareness about Distracted Driving Awareness Month in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities and collisions while encouraging safe driving.
Distractions are anything that take a driver’s attention away from the road manually, cognitively or visually, including checking emails on a smart phone, eating, drinking, changing the radio station or making a phone call through a car’s hands free system.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA), removing one’s eyes from the road to check a text message at 55 miles per hour can result in the driver traveling the equivalent of one football field. Driving such a long distance in a short amount of time can have deadly consequences for motorists and pedestrians. A driver who texts is 23 times more likely to suffer a fatal crash. The startling statistic highlights how imperative it is that motorists put down their phones and focus solely on driving.
Changing Behavior and Saving Lives
With Distracted Driving Awareness Month underway, Indiana residents can expect to see officers enforcing state laws that ban Indiana drivers under the age of 20 from using cell phones while driving.
By educating the public about the hazards of distracted driving through a national ad campaign, the government is encouraging safe driving behavior. The message is simple, U Drive. U Text. U Pay. The law enforcement crackdown, coupled with the campaign, targets distracted driving through radio, television and digital ads.
Distracted driving deaths are preventable and averting the loss of life can be as simple as not answering a cell phone when behind the wheel and making the decision to drive responsibly.
If you have suffered a personal injury due to the negligence of a distracted driver, reach out to the skilled South Bend auto accident attorneys in at Pfeifer, Morgan & Stesiak right away to discuss your claim for free. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid if we obtain a successful settlement or verdict on your behalf.
Call (844) 678-1800 for help today.
