Kulick: Eliminate distracted driving, focus on the road
Before we know it, school buses will be back on the roads and kids will be waiting at the stops. There will be walkers making their way to school in the early mornings and during the afternoons. All this is not to say the lazy, hazy days of summer are dwindling, but to point out that attention while driving will be even more important.
Everyone knows that distracted driving can create disaster, damage and even deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2022, 3,522 people were killed because of distracted driving. NHTSA defines distracted driving as “any activity that diverts attention from driving.” Things that are most often cited are texting and talking on the phone, but something as mundane as adjusting the radio or GPS creates the same issue.
Fact: Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for at least 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that is like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed!
With school opening, there will be many students driving to school, often with others in the car. An important reminder: Not only do teens have the highest crash rates among miles driven, but they are also among the drivers most often impaired by distraction.
The Marketing Team of CSAA Insurance Group has recommendations to help prevent distracted driving: Focus on driving. Actively scan the road for hazards, use your mirror and watch out for pedestrians and cyclists. In Northeast Pennsylvania, we add deer and other creatures to that list.
An obvious one, never text and drive. Pull off the road if you must make or take a call, return a text or do anything else that would take your attention off the road. Find a safe spot and pull over.
Let your passenger help you out. If something is distracting you, let your passenger take care of it, so your attention is not diverted from the road. As much as we all likely do it, the recommendation is not to eat or drink while driving. This requires taking hands off the wheel and eyes off the road.
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Plan your trip ahead of time. Program the GPS or phone before you leave so that you don’t have to try to do it while driving. And this one is obvious to any parent, grandparent or child’s caregiver: Settle children, and pets, before you start your trip. If they need your attention, once again, pull off the road. Reaching into the backseat can result in losing control of the car.
My bet is you have seen this or some version of it while driving as well. Don’t get dressed or apply makeup while driving. Get yourself together before you hit the road! (Or again, pull over and stop!)
As the school year starts, keep an eye out for the buses and the kids waiting alongside the roadways. Know that as soon as those red lights start flashing, you are stopping! Wait until the bus STOP sign is pulled back, the red lights go off and the “arm” on the bus is fully retracted.
Let’s all do our part to make our roadways safer for everyone!
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Kulick: Keep eyes on the road while driving
