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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – New York, April 5, 2017 — As Distracted Driving Awareness Month begins, The National Road Safety Foundation reminds drivers that cell phones and texting are not the only things that can distract a driver.
“Distraction can be caused by many seemingly harmless things,” said Michelle Anderson, Director of Operations at The National Road Safety Foundation (NRSF), a non-profit group that promotes safe driving behavior. “Tuning the radio, eating or drinking while driving, or even talking to other passengers in the car can be a dangerous distraction that takes a driver’s mind off the road, with potentially deadly results.”
Traffic fatalities have risen by more than seven percent each of the past two years, after decades of consistently lower numbers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic safety experts place much of the blame for the increase on distraction.
Recent studies by the National Safety Council show many bad driving habits, coupled with misinformation, may explain the increase in distracted driving. Nearly half of drivers think it is safe to text manually or with a voice-recognition system. Many also believe using a hands-free device is not risky.
In fact, texting or talking on a cell, even with a hands-free device, creates a cognitive distraction, taking concentration off the main task at hand — driving. Texting takes the driver’s eyes off the road for at least three or four seconds, which means at highway speeds you are driving blind for the length of a football field. Studies show that drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to cause injuries. Using a cell phone while driving, whether it’s hand-held or hands-free, impairs a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
Teens, who are less experienced behind the wheel, are especially at risk. Yet, the National Safety Council survey finds 35 percent of teens say they would use social media while behind the wheel.
“Clearly, perceptions are not in step with the reality of distraction,” said NRSF’s Michelle Anderson. “Distracted Driving Awareness Month is a good time to educate ourselves and our young drivers to those realities so we can all be alert and safe on the road. A big part of the solution is simply to be aware of what causes distraction.”
In addition to use of cell phones and texting, common distractions include buckling seatbelts and adjusting seats and mirrors while driving, reading a GPS device, tuning the radio or changing a CD or iPod, applying makeup, eating or drinking, reaching for personal belongings or turning your head to talk with fellow passengers.
The National Road Safety Foundation has brief videos about distracted driving that can be viewed or downloaded at no charge from http://www.nrsf.org/programs/distracted-driving.
The site also has a downloadable self-assessment quiz titled “Am I Distracted?” that points out common behaviors that cause distraction while driving.
The National Road Safety Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization founded more than 50 years ago, produces traffic safety programs on distracted driving, speed and aggression, impaired driving, drowsy driving, driver proficiency, pedestrian safety and a host of other safety issues. It distributes the programs free of charge to schools, police and traffic safety advocates, community groups and individuals. It also sponsors contests to engage teens in promoting safe driving to their peers and in their communities. For more information or to download free programs, visit www.nrsf.org or www.teenlane.org and “Like” us on Facebook.
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