Today is April 1st, and yes that means it is April Fool’s Day! However, we’re not fooling around when we say that safety while driving is important. Why you may ask? Well, because April is Distracted Driving Awareness month! While our whole business is based around cellphones and wireless service, we know that using your phone while driving can be dangerous and should be avoided at all costs!
It seems that more than ever, we are connected and on our phones. It is easy to fill up any free time you have by just endlessly scrolling on your phone. We get that driving, especially for long periods, may seem boring at times so the urge to be on your phone, either texting friends, catching up on social media, or whatever else, may seem appealing. We can assure you though that is NEVER a good idea to be on your phone while driving! Approximately 3,000 people are killed every year due to distracted driving, according to the CDC. That is about 9 people per day if you break it down further. In a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were higher percentages of distracted drivers between the ages of 15-20 that were involved in fatal crashes than those 21 and above1.
Sources: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010-2013, 2014–2018 and 2019
You can visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website for more information on how data on motor vehicle crash deaths are collected and the limitations of distracted driving data.
While texting and driving can put yourself in danger, it is important to remember that others can be hurt as well. Of course, passengers are at risk when the driver is distracted as well other drivers, but also pedestrians. In 2021, over 640 people classified as nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) were killed as a result of distracted driving2.
Everyone should understand the dangers of texting but why do people still choose to do it? Over 90% of drivers believe that texting while driving is dangerous but nearly 40% of drivers admitted to using their phones while driving3. So while calling for people to not use their phones while driving might seem redundant or common sense, there is obviously and reason as to why we feel the need to point it out and call attention to it.
While we like to highlight the importance of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we don’t stop there! W8T 2 TXT is a FREE program that Nex-Tech Wireless offers to schools and driver’s ed program within our service area. We feel that it is important to try and get this info to our youth as they are learning how to drive to set them up on the road to safe driving! (Pun definitely intended). All these stats can be boring for anyone, let alone for students learning how to drive so we come at this topic two ways. Frist, we do the boring part and go over the information and statistics surrounding distracted driving, and then we have the FUN part! We set up a small driving course for the students for them to see for themselves how hard, and dangerous it is to text and driving. We ride along with them in a golf cart while they try to send a simple text and usually, that drives the message home (again, pun intended).
If you work for a school or driver’s ed program or know of one that might be interested, fill out the W8T 2 TXT form here.
Sources
1. CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/distracted_driving/index.html
3. AAA: https://aaafoundation.org/
