Day 67 - Important Safety Measures

Day 67 - Important Safety Measures

If there is any blog post I think should be shared from my blog, it's this one.  Within the last work week, driving to and from work, I counted 6 cars who were texting and driving.  How could I tell?  Well, they were gradually crossing into other lanes and jerking back into their lane quickly every few seconds.  As I passed by them quickly, they were glancing down every three to five seconds.  I'm pretty sure what they were looking at was a cell phone.    

So, 6 cars in five days.  Multiple that by 52 for the number of weeks in the year.  That's 312 cars on one road, in one year, from one person's perspective.  Multiple that by our nation's population...

98,623,200,000 cars.

This math is definitely a bit ambiguous and there are so many factors not calculated in, but the math is mind-boggling as you do some self-thinking.  The math that isn't ambiguous comes from Department of Transportation (DOT) 2008 report.  In 2007, the nation as a whole lost 47,059 lives due to motor vehicle crashes.  The report goes on to say that the number of fatalities from motor vehicle crashes has remained constant over the past several years, and in 2005, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death (Full Study Here).  And what are the top 3 causes of car accidents in America?  Drivers.com says 3). Drunk Driving, 2). Speeding, and 1). Distracted Driving, which includes the use of cell phones.

"Distracted driving continues to be the number one leading cause of car accidents in America...Drivers who use a hand-held device are 4 times more likely to get into a car accident than drivers that pay attention to the road ahead" (Full Article Here).

My advice for important safety measures, make a rule to stay off your cell phone if you're driving.  Am I saying this will prevent you from getting in an accident?  No.  Accidents happen all the time and can be brought on by other drivers.  But by not being on your phone, you're more likely able to react to those situations you cannot control, and are certainly more likely to not cause the accident yourself.  I'm also talking about the simple concept of just talking on your phone too.  That can be distracting.  The next time you're at a red light crossing, count how many cars are talking on their cell phones that go by you.  It's pretty amazing just how distracted we are.

Spread the word.  Tell someone you love that you care about them and want them to keep their cell phone at bay when behind the wheel.  A simple task that just may save your loved one's life.  And if we all tell at least one person we love not to use their cell phone when they're driving, think how many lives we might save?  Just my two cents.  

Save the day.  Put your cell phone away.