If your eyes and thoughts are not on the…
If your eyes and thoughts are not on the road a fatality could be around the bend!
Passing your driving test is a rite of passage for American teens. Most teenagers obtain a driver’s license to enjoy independence and freedom of being behind the wheel. However, in today’s technological society, electronic gadgets cause a variety of distractions for drivers. The most common types of distractions for drivers are texting, using cell phones, eating, drinking, grooming, talking to passengers, GPS, and watching videos . You can see distracted drivers in every town and city across the country. According to Motor Vehicle statistics, eight or more people are killed and 1,161 are injured daily due to distracted drivers. While every age range has to take this seriously, teens have the highest crash rate of any group.
According to AAA , the most common forms of distractions leading up to a crash by a teen driver included:
- Interacting with one or more passengers: 15 percent of crashes
- Cell phone use: 12 percent of crashes
- Looking at something in the vechicle:10 percent of crashes
- Looking at something outside the vehicles :9 percent of crashes
- Singing/ moving to music: 8 percent of crashes
- Grooming: 6 percent of crashes
- Reaching for an object: 6 percent of crashes
My grandmother would say no parent should have to bury his or her child. Sadly, parents in every state are losing their kids to distracted drivers at an alarming rate. I heard a report last week in which three college teenage girls lost their lives due to the distracted driver. The four friends, who had been on spring break, were returning home to Houston, TX. The driver was distracted because she was looking at the GPS on her phone; unfortunately, she collided into a tractor trailer. She lived; however, the three passengers died. Two of the four girls were sisters, and they were their parents’ only children. This horrific crash which resulted in three deaths could have been avoided.
So what can we do? Motor Vehicle, AAA and, other agencies are highly suggesting that parents should discuss all distractions with their teenagers . Parents must be positive role models and keep their phones tucked away while driving. Caution must also be used while utilizing hands- free devices because they are still a source of distractions. To reinforce good driving habits The National Safety Council has designated April for National Distracted Driving Awareness month . Furthermore, AAA has created a driver education program so teens can learn that being distracted highly increases your crash risk. Currently eleven states ban the use of hand held electronics while driving, and thirty- three states have laws preventing cell phones usage for teens. Parents need to ask their teens to abstain from using their phone while driving. So teens follow the rules so both you and others can enjoy tomorrow. This is real life, you need a real security company. ATP Alarms is American Total Protection.
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