Celebrate Distracted Driving Awareness Month by Putting Down the Phone

Throughout April, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the National Safety Council (NSC) aims to promote safer driving by spreading the message about the dangers of using a phone or driving distractedly. The NSC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offer free campaign materials to help you get involved and act.

 

What is Distracted Driving Awareness Month?

 

Distracted driving is lethal; over 3,300 people died, and 421,000 people sustained injuries in distracted driving accidents in 2012, according to the NHTSA. Agencies such as the NSC, NHTSA, and law enforcement use Distracted Driving Awareness Month to discuss the risks of distracted driving and promote safer driving habits.

As an offshoot of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the NHTSA runs a concurrent campaign for distracted driving: U Drive. U Text. U Pay. Promoted primarily through social media during early April, the agency aims to raise public awareness about the consequences of texting and driving. “The focus is on the idea that ‘If you’re texting, you’re not driving,’” the NHTSA explains.

How can I celebrate Distracted Driving Awareness Month?

 

First and foremost, the best way to recognize and celebrate Distracted Driving Awareness Month is to pledge not to use your phone while driving. This includes hands-free technologies such as talk-to-text and voice command dashboard functions, which are just as dangerous as hand-helds.

Always put your phone on airplane mode when you get behind the wheel or use an app that disables phone functions while driving.

Then, you can do your part to spread the word and promote safety. Use all freely available resources.

  • Sign up to receive new campaign materials from the NSC.
  • Visit the NSC’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month directory for videos, webinars, and other resources.
  • Check out the official gov site for various resources for educators, parents, and employers.
  • Demo the NCS’s new, free Distracted Driving Online Course.
  • If you have a teenage driver, share the information with him and his high school.
  • Use the many resources on Traffic Safety Marketing, such as press releases, PSAs, posters, and banner ads for social media.
  • Take the Focused Driver Challenge to pledge to drive phone-free. “You can pledge to your children or other loved ones that you will be an attentive driver. Share your pledge on social media if you’d like,” the NSC encourages.
  • Share this post on social media using the share buttons below.

If you need legal information or representation after a distraction-related accident, contact Gallon, Takacs & Boissoneault at 419-843-6663 and request a free consultation.