Dangers of Distracted Driving

Posted by: BeneFIT Corporate Wellness
Date: April 24, 2012

On average, every 13 minutes an American dies in a car crash.* Distracted driving is a major cause for many of these deaths. Cell phone use is by far the greatest distraction for drivers, and totally avoidable.

Many employers already have policies in place that prohibit the use of cell phones while driving company vehicles. That’s a step in the right direction, but many employees still use their cell phones while driving their personal vehicles. Now there’s a new state law banning texting while driving in Pennsylvania. If your employees travel throughout the United States, it’s important for them to know about 30 states nationwide prohibit motorists from texting, and many ban hand-held cell phone use altogether.

Despite all of these efforts to make our roads safer, many people still don’t understand the serious consequences of distracted driving. Studies indicate that talking on a mobile quadruples your risk for a crash (raising it to the same risk level as driving drunk.) “If you’re text messaging, you are eight times more likely to crash,” says Lehigh Valley Health Network trauma surgeon Robert Barraco, MD.

Here’s another scary number. Eighty percent of all motor vehicle crashes occur within 3 seconds of a driver distraction—anything which takes the driver’s attention away for even one second. At best it takes 1.5 seconds for the most skilled and focused driver simply to notice a problem and hit the brakes. One study says it takes 26 seconds on average to send a text message. That’s why Lehigh Valley Health Network started the Stop Texting public awareness campaign in the fall of 2010. Maybe you saw the billboards or heard a radio ad. Chances are pretty good you’ve seen the Stop Texting magnets—they are on cars all over the Lehigh Valley. Organizations from throughout the region have partnered with the health network to spread the message. Today, you can do your part to make our community safer. Ask your employees to pledge to stop texting today.

*car-accidents.com/pages/stats

    — By Amy Koch, Writer, Lehigh Valley Health Network

To find out how to get “STOP TEXTING” magnets for your employees, please contact us.

Disclaimer: The information presented is for your general knowledge and does not replace the advice of a physician. All medical inquiries regarding your health should be presented to a physician.