Happy Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Please Pay Attention At the Wheel As Distractions Cost 3,500 Lives Each Year

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a 30-day period that is intended to call attention to how distractions compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles.
It’s only the first days of April but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that distracted driving claims approximately 3,500 lives each year.
In recognition of this appalling statistic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched its 2024 campaign to combat this scourge, using the simple slogan, “Don’t drive distracted. Eyes forward.”
The serious nature of the topic prompted police departments across the country to step up enforcement of their states’ respective distracted-driving laws.
The New York State Police Department will begin “Operation Hangup,” its distracted-driving public-service campaign and enforcement program. The Empire State was the first in the nation to ban the use of handheld mobile phones while driving.
In states that are part of the 6-State Trooper Project, namely Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, highway patrols will focus on violations such as texting while driving, drivers under the age of 18 using mobile phones, and other forms of distracted driving.
Distracted driving isn’t just looking down to text or place a phone call. It includes changing the radio station, eating, applying makeup, and even talking to passengers,
Still the distracted-driving activities that warrant the greatest concern are those that revolve around smartphone use. Beyond talking and texting, that includes entering a destination manually, watching a social-media video, or trying to record a video for a social-media channel.
The activities that studies have shown to be most likely to cause an accident include placing a phone call, reaching for an object or a phone, and texting.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)