Across the globe, lifestyles are demanding things to be quicker. Whether it's sending a text message or choosing a weight loss program, societies are thirsting for whatever is "fastest." Days are fast-paced, arduous, and hectic. Oftentimes, there is simply no time to slow down. Several minutes of driving from point A to point B cannot be wasted. To compensate for time, we have attempted to perfect the art of mulitasking. Over the past decade, such a "skill" has evolved exponentially amongst drivers on the road. There are many dangers associated with this form of mulitasking because our eyes are taken off the road and usually at least one hand from the steering wheel. Listed below are just a few of the common tasks performed behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. How many of you seen on your daily commute? Which, if any, are you guilty of?

The Distracted Driving List

Grooming: Applying make-up, brushing hair, or shaving

Eating: Anything from lunch and dinner to a bowl of cereal with milk

Drinking: Sipping on hot coffee or trying to find the cup holder

Technology: Changing CDs, searching for a radio station, iPod play lists, or setting a new destination in your GPS

Daily News: Reading today’s paper or the most recent magazine articles

Kids & Pets: Turning around in your driver’s seat in order to talk to or discipline and child or pull a pet away from an open window

Wardrobe: Changing your outfit while still driving down the highway; or putting on a sweatshirt, jacket

Distracted driving ultimately leads to accidents. This attempt at multitasking greatly increases the probability of accidents, injuries, or worse.

Take a look at your last sent text message or the recent text message you received on your phone. Is it really that important? Is it worth totaling your car, injuring yourself or someone else, or losing your life or another’s life?

According to the United States website for Distracted Driving, sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. It may not seem very long but in fact at 55 miles per hour, it is equivalent to driving the length of an entire football field, blind.

Recently, emphasis has been placed on the dangers of distracted driving, but more specifically using a cell phone while driving.

                                   Is distracted driving worth it?

1. Research shows that cell phone users have a slower reaction time than impaired drivers with a .08 blood alcohol content. (NSC).

2. "In 2010, 3092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver."

3. An estimated minimum of 24% of motor vehicle crashes involve drivers texting or talking on their cell phones. (NSC).

4. In 2009, 5,474 people were killed and an estimated 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes there reportedly involved a distracted driver. (FARS)

5. Of those injured in distracted-driving related crashes, 24,000 reportedly involved cell phone use as the distraction. (NHTSA)

6. In 2009, 16% of motor vehicle crash fatalities and 20% of injury crashes involved distracted driving. (NHTSA)

7. National Safety Council estimates that each year, at least 1.6 million motor vehicle crashes involve drivers using cell phones.

8. 87% of the United States population is a wireless phone subscriber and at any point, 11% of drivers on the road are using their phones. (NSC)

9. 80% of people admit to talking on their phone while driving. (NSC)

10. Almost 1 in 5 drivers, admitted to texting while driving. (NSC)

Sources: National Safety Council; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Fatality Analysis Reporting System

          PROTECT YOURSELF AND THOSE YOU LOVE - DON’T TEXT & DRIVE

 

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