Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and, therefore, a perfect time to reinforce for your students the extreme dangers of failing to pay attention to the driving task. Driver distractions have joined alcohol and speeding as leading factors in vehicle crashes. A recent study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found some form of driver distraction within three seconds prior to the event was a factor in nearly 80% of collisions and 65% of near-collisions. The real tragedy is that most distractions are self-inflicted, easily avoidable, and completely unnecessary.

FocusDriven is a sponsor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2013, and their website provides a wealth of informational resources and downloadable materials dealing with the hazards of the most common in-vehicle distraction today's drivers face: mobile phones.

Unsafe as they are, however, phoning and texting aren't the only distractions that tempt motorists. In-dash electronics, climate and infotainment controls, personal hygiene items/tasks, and food and drink all serve to attract drivers' attention.

As if that weren't bad enough, objects and activities outside of the vehicle can unduly divert drivers' attention from the road as well. Common outside-the-vehicle distractions include: collisions scenes, law enforcement vehicle stops, construction work, billboards/advertising, beautiful scenery, and searching for an address.

Remind your students to stay focused on the driving task at all times—in short, to keep their eyes and their attention on the road!