Distracted driving kills and injures thousand of people each year.
Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions can endanger the safety of drivers, passengers, and bystanders. There are three main types of distractions:
- visual - taking your eyes off the road;
- manual - taking your hands off the wheel;
- cognitive - taking your mind off what you’re doing. These types of distractions include:
- Texting
- Using a cell phone or smartphone
- Talking on a two-way radio
- Eating and drinking
- Talking to passengers
- Grooming
- Reading, including maps
- Using a navigation system
- Watching a video
- Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player
Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention, it is by far the most alarming distraction for drivers.
The best way to minimize distracted driving is to educate your staff about the danger it poses. Distracted driving kills and injures thousands of people each year. 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving distracted driving during 2011. An additional, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. As County employees, we need to protect lives by never texting or talking on the phone while driving. Pull over to the side of the road to answer or make a phone call. Be a responsible passenger and speak out if the driver is distracted, and encourage colleagues, friends, and family to drive without distraction.
Make educating your employees about distracted driving a priority. Develop policies which ban cell phone usage and texting while driving. Let us know if your department has committed to implementing distraction-free driving policy