April is being dedicated to highlight distracted driving
It is estimated that 40% of drivers look at their phones at least once every hour. If you are easily distracted, leave your phone in the boot.
The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, said an important way to stop driving while distracted (DWD) is to illustrate just how dangerous it is.
“It remains true that drivers will more easily engage in distracted driving than what they will in drunken driving. This is despite studies showing it is just as dangerous, sometimes more. The reasons for this are wide-ranging, but the belief that one is good at it, likely lies at the heart of the matter.”
A comment made recently by a USA law firm adequately describes the impossibility of not falling victim to its consequences. “Saying you’re good at driving and texting is like saying you’re good at driving blindfolded.”
If this does not emphasise the folly of DWD, below are 10 facts about texting and driving that might succeed:
• Drivers are distracted, on average, for five seconds while driving and using their phones, which means they can drive the length of a football field looking down.
• You are six times more likely to get into a DWD crash than what you are while driving drunk.
• DWD makes you eight times more likely to be involved in a crash.
• It is estimated that 11 teenagers die every day in distracted driving crashes because they are 400% more likely to cause a DWD crash.
• Up to 64% of vehicle crashes in the USA involve cellphone usage.
• A teenager using a cellphone and driving has the same reaction time as a 70-year-old driver not on their phone.
• More than 3 000 people were killed in DWD crashes in 2020 in the USA.
• Additionally, 421 000 people are injured each year as a result of distracted driving.
• Over 660 000 drivers are using cell phones while driving at any given time in the USA.
• USA’s National Safety Council estimates six million crashes per year are a result of DWD. “If you tend to pick up the phone while behind the wheel, it’s time to realise how dangerous it is. Once drivers realise this, it is then important to acknowledge that simply telling someone not to do it isn’t going to bring about the required change. 
“With current demands on employees, and even in personal lives, the solution is to find an alternative that allows for reduction of DWD and continued productivity simultaneously.
For this reason, MasterDrive partnered with NoCell in providing a solution to this complex need. It doesn’t just tell someone not to do it but gives them a way to still meet the demands placed on them,” concluded Herbert.
Source: QuickPic
