Drivers getting behind the wheel and texting while driving has become such an epidemic that the United States Department of Transportation has created a website entitled www.distraction.gov. The website is a wonderful research tool and information site for educators, teen drivers, concerned parents, and employers to visit and learn the facts. Along with the website, USDOT has put together a public service announcement with a compelling and interactive video that will launch this week.
If you or anyone you know in the family has a teen, young, and/or distracted driver this website should be a requirement before actually getting on the roadways behind the wheel. The facts section illustrates such points as:
- In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction, and an estimated 448,000 were injured;
- Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind; and
- Using a cell phone while driving – whether it’s hand-held or hands-free delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
Did you know that you are 23x more likely to be in collision by texting while driving? That is a scary statistic and something we have noticed here in South Carolina on the roadways of interstate 85. Please use this tool and information to help spread the word.
Go to http://www.distraction.gov/ now!