Texting While Driving

Did you know driver distraction is a factor in 80% of crashes according to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA)??

Distracted driving can be categorized into three main types:
   
    1. Visual: taking your eyes off the road;
    2. Manual: taking your hands off the wheel; and
    3. Cognitive: taking your mind off of driving

TEXTING is considered one of the most dangerous tasks that a person can attempt while driving since it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention, concurrently.  A study completed by the CDC reported that 31% of U.S. drivers ages 18-64 had read or sent text messages or emails while driving – at least once within the 30 days before they were surveyed.  Driving requires 100% of your attention on the road and you cannot allow yourself to be distracted, even for one second.  Whenever your attention is diverted by a distraction, realize the possible consequences.  If your attention was occupied for just one second while driving at 30 mph, your vehicle would have traveled 44 feet before your attention had returned to the road.  If a child darts between your attention, seeing the child will be delayed by 44 feet – and that doesn’t include reaction time or braking distance.

Consider the fact that sending or receiving a text message can take a driver’s attention off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds.  If distracted, at 30 mph, you could travel more than 200 feet without ever seeing what’s happening around you.  That same example at 55 mph is equivalent to traveling the length of a football field, blindfolded!

Think about that the next time you’re tempted to be distracted by reading or sending a TEXT.

One TEXT could truly wreck it all!

For information and other safety tips, visit www.thehartford.com/losscontrol.

Click here to read the full article, courtesy of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.