Dings from your phone can be hard to resist. The alert of a call, text or notification coming through produces a strong physiological reaction in most people.
We know we shouldn’t sneak a peek, but we’ve all made an exception. Just this once, right?
Why do we indulge in behavior we know to be wrong, dangerous and—in many places—illegal? Call it pride. According to American Automobile Association research, most people believe they’re better-than-average drivers. After all, we have busy lives and are accustomed to multitasking. But mounds of research and thousands of deaths every year prove otherwise.
August is Back to School Safety Month. As a new school year begins with young drivers and school buses back on the road, it’s a good time to remember the dangers of distracted driving.
The reality is that using a phone while driving creates enormous potential for injuries and fatalities. Distractions take your attention off driving, which can make you miss critical events, objects and cues—potentially leading to a crash.
One in ten fatal crashes in the U.S. involves distracted driving, resulting in more than 3,500 deaths annually, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Distracted driving is considered any activity that diverts our attention, including texting, talking on the phone, adjusting a navigation or entertainment system, eating and drinking, reading, grooming, and interacting with passengers. Texting is by far one of the most dangerous distractions. Sending or reading one text takes your eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.
New technology in vehicles is causing us to become more distracted behind the wheel than ever before. Fifty-three percent of drivers believe if manufacturers put “infotainment” dashboards and hands-free technology in vehicles, they must be safe. Many drivers believe they’re making the safe choice by using a hands-free device. But in fact, these technologies still distract our brains, and continue to distract us long after we’ve used them.
At MidSouth Electric Cooperative, safety is foremost in everything we do—for our employees and the communities we serve. We routinely remind our crews of the dangers of distrac-ted driving, and we hope you’ll have similar conversations with the young drivers in your life. They’re new to the roadways and may be especially susceptible to the lure of technology.
Let’s work together to keep everyone safe on the roads. Remember: That text can wait, and waiting just might save a life.
