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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine people are killed and 1,161 are injured daily in the U.S. by crashes that involved a distracted driver. Because of this, the National Department of Transportation and the National Safety Council have designated April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
When MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) was founded in 1980, more than 25,000 people were killed in drunken driving crashes each year. Since then, those numbers have been cut in half. And while drunk driving is still a large problem, the prevalence of smartphone use has now pushed distracted driving into the spotlight.
Why is distracted driving such a problem?
- Talking on the phone while driving is now considered to be four times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk, and dialing and texting increases to SIX times more likely.
- Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
- One out of every four car accidents in the U.S. is caused by texting and driving.
Many of us live increasingly busy lives that we frequently attempt to make easier with technology. However, humans are just not as good at multitasking as we think we are. The simple act of having a conversation can prevent our brain from processing nearly 50 percent of the images we see while driving, causing a significant decrease in reaction time. BUT, distracted driving is not limited to just texting or making calls on a cell phone.
Distracted driving is considered any activity that divides a driver’s attention, such as:
- Eating or drinking
- Reading a map or GPS
- Applying makeup
- Changing the radio or shuffling through an MP3 player
- Talking to passengers
To help raise awareness of the dangers associated with distracted driving, Hupy and Abraham has produced numerous public service announcements and have distributed over 100,000 DNT TXT N DRV bumper stickers in our communities. Help us spread the word by clicking here to get your own free DNT TXT N DRV bumper sticker.
If you or a loved one has been in an accident caused by a distracted driver, it is essential that distracted driver is held accountable for his or her actions. The experienced attorneys at Hupy and Abraham can help. Contact us at 800-800-5678, or you can start a live chat 24/7 at hupy.com.
