The freedom of the roads - to go where we want, when we want - is something that Americans have cherished for decades. And although the constant evolution of our cars and road system has brought many safety improvements over the years, driving is in no way without danger. The hazards posed by distracted driving are among the most prevalent of these dangers, and yet also among the easiest to prevent. Taking simple measures, such as using hands-free systems for mobile phone use in the car, and ALWAYS avoiding texting while driving, could greatly reduce distracted driving accidents and save thousands of lives every year.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 more than 37,000 people lost their lives in auto accidents in the US and more than 2 million people were injured. And although there's no way around the fact that as long as humans are behind the wheel, some number of accidents are inevitable, it's also reasonable to assert that we, as drivers, can do better in the safety department. One of the easiest, biggest bang-for-the-buck changes we can make to our driving habits to improve safety and reduce accidents is simply to minimize distractions and do a better job of paying attention - keep our heads up, eyes on the road, and hands on the wheel. And one of the easiest distractions to eliminate is the one posed by another of our national passions: our mobile phones. The NHTSA reports that of all US traffic fatalities in 2008, 16% of them can be attributed to distracted driving. And of the many possible distractions a driver can face, manual manipulation of cellular phones is among the most dangerous.
If we're looking at or physically interacting with our phones while behind the wheel, our attention is not on the roadway. This is illustrated by a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study that found text messaging while driving to cause drivers to take their eyes off of the road for an average of 4.6 seconds of each 6 second interval. To convert that into a real-world scenario, a car traveling at 55 mph covers the distance of a football field in 4.6 seconds! It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the same study by VTTI found that the risk of crash or near crash events increased by more than 23% when drivers were involved in text messaging.
Experts unanimously agree that texting, emailing, web browsing, etc. while behind the wheel should absolutely, positively be banned. Safe driving requires visual contact with the roadway and any activity that draws drivers' attention from the road should be avoided. Along these same lines, ANY use of a mobile device that causes drivers' attention to be diverted from the road is a distraction and should be avoided; this includes making and receiving phone calls without using true hands-free systems. A true hands-free system is one that doesn't cause us to take our eyes off of the road or our hands off of the wheel and usually consists of a combination of components, including: A secure mount that holds the phone in plain view of the driver; voice activated answering and dialing software; and, a hands-free headset or speaker/microphone.
If we really wanted to absolutely and completely eliminate any possibility of distraction from our cellular phones while behind the wheel, truthfully, the only option would be to turn them off. But we all know that there are a lot of people out there who are simply not going to do this. So, for those who must stay on the radar screen while behind the wheel, the best option is to go hands-free. Use a system that includes: A secure mount that holds your phone in a position that doesn't cause you to look away from the road if you need to glance at it to see who's calling; voice activated phone call answering and dialing software; and, a speaker/microphone or bluetooth headset. And most importantly, NEVER text while driving. Keep your head up, eyes on the road and hands on the wheel... it just might save a life!
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008 more than 37,000 people lost their lives in auto accidents in the US and more than 2 million people were injured. And although there's no way around the fact that as long as humans are behind the wheel, some number of accidents are inevitable, it's also reasonable to assert that we, as drivers, can do better in the safety department. One of the easiest, biggest bang-for-the-buck changes we can make to our driving habits to improve safety and reduce accidents is simply to minimize distractions and do a better job of paying attention - keep our heads up, eyes on the road, and hands on the wheel. And one of the easiest distractions to eliminate is the one posed by another of our national passions: our mobile phones. The NHTSA reports that of all US traffic fatalities in 2008, 16% of them can be attributed to distracted driving. And of the many possible distractions a driver can face, manual manipulation of cellular phones is among the most dangerous.
If we're looking at or physically interacting with our phones while behind the wheel, our attention is not on the roadway. This is illustrated by a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study that found text messaging while driving to cause drivers to take their eyes off of the road for an average of 4.6 seconds of each 6 second interval. To convert that into a real-world scenario, a car traveling at 55 mph covers the distance of a football field in 4.6 seconds! It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that the same study by VTTI found that the risk of crash or near crash events increased by more than 23% when drivers were involved in text messaging.
Experts unanimously agree that texting, emailing, web browsing, etc. while behind the wheel should absolutely, positively be banned. Safe driving requires visual contact with the roadway and any activity that draws drivers' attention from the road should be avoided. Along these same lines, ANY use of a mobile device that causes drivers' attention to be diverted from the road is a distraction and should be avoided; this includes making and receiving phone calls without using true hands-free systems. A true hands-free system is one that doesn't cause us to take our eyes off of the road or our hands off of the wheel and usually consists of a combination of components, including: A secure mount that holds the phone in plain view of the driver; voice activated answering and dialing software; and, a hands-free headset or speaker/microphone.
If we really wanted to absolutely and completely eliminate any possibility of distraction from our cellular phones while behind the wheel, truthfully, the only option would be to turn them off. But we all know that there are a lot of people out there who are simply not going to do this. So, for those who must stay on the radar screen while behind the wheel, the best option is to go hands-free. Use a system that includes: A secure mount that holds your phone in a position that doesn't cause you to look away from the road if you need to glance at it to see who's calling; voice activated phone call answering and dialing software; and, a speaker/microphone or bluetooth headset. And most importantly, NEVER text while driving. Keep your head up, eyes on the road and hands on the wheel... it just might save a life!
About the Author:
Learn more about distracted driving. Stop by Madison Wright's site where you can find out all about hands-free products and how they can make you a safer driver.
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