Distracted Driving
We’re all guilty of doing it. We lead busy lives, and it seems like a good portion of it is spent in our cars. So, we’ve learned to adapt by “multitasking” behind the wheel. We eat breakfast while driving to the office. We eat our lunch while running errands during our lunch break. We are constantly scanning through the radio stations trying to find a good song while driving through traffic. Those of us with kids may be opening yogurt pouches or packages of crackers. And those of us with fur babies may be yelling at them to get off our lap or stop barking. And many of us are doing any of the above-mentioned activities while also having a Zoom meeting. Does any of this sound familiar? No one can see you right now so it’s okay to raise your hand if you’ve done any of those things. Just know that you’re not alone because yours truly has done every single one of those things while driving. Eek!
Distracted driving isn’t just driving while making a phone call or texting. It occurs anytime the driver does not have their full attention on the road while operating a vehicle. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2021, there were 3,522 people killed because of distracted drivers. That number is up by 380 compared to 2020. Yikes. Did that make you grimace a bit? It certainly made me take pause. That’s 3,522 humans that had friends and families and maybe even fur babies too. They had a life and then it was gone because someone was too busy doing something else besides driving. I’m not proud of my past choices and I’m grateful that I didn’t contribute to that statistic. In safety, we always talk about risky behaviors and their consequences. Just because no one was hurt when I was looking up my favorite podcast while driving, that doesn’t mean that I’ve been driving safely. It just means that I got lucky. But today, I’m making a change to be more aware of the dangers of distracted driving and so I’m pledging right now to drive phone-free. I’m doing it because I’m a mom of an awesome 6-year-old boy and a sweet 8-year-old doggo. I’m also doing it because it’s the right thing to do to protect other people. I encourage everyone reading this message to think about their “WHY” and make a commitment to drive phone-free too.