Friday, May 11, 2018

April Was Distracted Driving Awareness Month (but we were too busy to notice!)

(Click on the image for more)

Put your phone away and #JustDrive.
  • A jury in Texas found a beverage company liable after one of its drivers crashed while talking hands-free. Verdict: $21million.
  • While government and law enforcement play an important role in making and enforcing laws to keep us safe, changing our behavior as individuals is a key factor in creating lasting change that can save lives.
  • AAA: "people in the United States value safe travel and also desire a greater level of security than they currently are experiencing.  Unsafe driving behavior – such as red-light running, texting while driving and impaired driving – are perceived as posing serious threats to personal safety.  However, despite these strongly held concerns, many individuals admit engaging in unsafe driving practices. Most drivers (89.3%) reported engaging in at least one of the risky behaviors examined in the survey at least once in the past 30 days. As such, drivers in the sample often demonstrate a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude.  For example, although 92% of respondents reported that driving through a light that just turned red when they could have stopped is unacceptable behavior, 43% admitted to doing so in the past month. These examples highlight discordance between motorists’ traffic safety culture beliefs and concerns and actual driving behaviors."