Safe Driving

Put that Cell Phone Away!

Did you know that getting into your car is probably the most dangerous thing you do each day? And for some reason, many of us choose to make it even more so. Driving while talking on a cell phone (even hands-free) makes you 4 times more likely to crash. Texting? 8 times. Driving drunk is not even the riskiest behavior. It is only as dangerous as driving while talking on the cell phone.

Why? Our brains won’t allow us to multi-task in the ways we try. Yes, we are doing two things at once. Yet, as a result, the quality of our attention changes. Peripheral vision is decreased. Objects go unnoticed. Reaction time is delayed. The results are often catastrophic.

Each year over 6,000 people die in car accidents. More than 500,000 sustain injuries, one of the most serious being brain injuries. How many of these are preventable?

Do your part. Put away your phone. Don’t talk. Don’t text. Don’t let your friends, spouses, parents or your kids do so either. Distracted driving is a problem we all know about and one we can prevent.