More and more accidents would be prevented every year in the U.S. if motorists would simply do the one thing that they’re supposed to do behind the wheel-focus on the task of driving. Unfortunately, far too many American motorists are engaged in a variety of different tasks while driving, increasing their risk of an accident and threatening the safety of other motorists, passengers, and pedestrians.
The National Safety Council last month delivered the results of new findings which once again underscored how serious the problem of distracted driving is. April was National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and to mark this month, the National Safety Council compiled the results of earlier surveys. The exercise yielded some very startling facts.
As many as 50% of all drivers believe that it is acceptable and perfectly safe for a person to text either using a manual device, or a voice-activated system. About half of all drivers also confirm that they are under constant pressure from their employers to remain accessible while driving. Â Forty four percent admit that they have been involved in an accident during the past three years while traveling to work.
Teenagers are heavy users of social media, and these habits are not put on hold when they’re driving. As many as 35% of teenage drivers regularly use social media while driving, and 17% believe that their distraction may have caused an accident.
Two-thirds of motorists admit that they have in the past felt unsafe because of another motorist’s distracted driving. However, when it comes to their own distractions, they are very complacent-only a quarter of them believe that their distractions place other people at risk. As many as 32% believe that modern automobiles are equipped to drive themselves, which is why eliminating distractions is not that important.
These statistics are extremely frightening, and clearly confirm the severe problem that transportation safety experts have before them as they attempt to tackle the dangers of distracted driving. Clearly, far too many American motorists are engaged in too many tasks while driving. The one thing that you can do to remain safe is to focus solely on the task of driving. You are not responsible for the behavior of other motorists, but you can regulate your own practices while at the wheel. If you have a family, your own driving practices are likely to be emulated by your children, so eliminate the use of electronic devices and all distractions from your car while driving with your children.