From AAA
As traffic begins to pick up across the country, with increased vaccinations and decreased pandemic restrictions, AAA – The Auto Club Group reminds drivers about the importance of focusing on the road ahead and not on their smartphones during Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
According to 2019 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
“Distracted driving remains a growing traffic safety problem nationwide,” says Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Any distraction, whether it be texting or talking to a passenger, could be enough to cause a crash. AAA strongly urges drivers to focus on what’s most important, the road in front of them.”
Unfortunately, drivers who use their cellphones behind the wheel have chosen to ignore the message that it’s extremely dangerous. In 2019, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a nationwide survey which found:
Checking your phone at the stoplight can be risky too. AAA research found that drivers can experience a “hangover effect”, where the mind stays distracted for up to 27 seconds after using smartphones or voice-to-text vehicle infotainment systems to send text messages, make phone calls or update social media. In other words, once that light turns green, your mind may still be focused on your phone and not on the road.
“The bottom line is, if your mind is not focused on driving, you’re unable to properly react to what’s happening on the road in front of you. That puts other drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians at risk,” Jenkins said.
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America with more than 14 million members across 14 U.S. states, the province of Quebec and two U.S. territories. ACG and its affiliates provide members with roadside assistance, insurance products, banking and financial services, travel offerings and more. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 60 million members in the United States and Canada. AAA’s mission is to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve traffic safety. For more information, get the AAA Mobile app, visit AAA.com, and follow on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
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