Nine people are killed and more than 1,000 are injured every day in distracted driving crashes, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. As April marks Distracted Driving Awareness Month, it is crucial to be aware of the importance of safe and focused driving.
Anything that takes attention away from driving can be a distraction. There are three types of distractions drivers are at risk of while behind the wheel of a car. Visual distractions take your eyes off the road, manual distractions take your hands off the wheel and cognitive distractions take your mind off driving. All of these distractions can endanger you, your passengers and others on the road.
Tips to alleviate distracted driving:
- Phones down – to stay safe, the best practice is to put your phone away while driving.
- Use technology – use smartphone features such as “Do Not Disturb” or Bluetooth.
- Plan ahead – plan your route and your playlist before you start driving.
To help decrease distracted driving-related crashes, Alabama passed a hands-free law last year. The law states that state and local law enforcement can issue tickets to anyone making a call, sending a text, browsing the web, or watching or recording videos with a phone in their hands while driving.
By avoiding distractions, we can all contribute to making Alabama roads safer for everyone traveling. Through the Drive Safe Alabama initiative, ALDOT has launched a new distracted driving awareness campaign called Code of the Road. The goal is to reinforce safe driving habits to make sure everyone arrives at their destination safely.
For more tips on how to stay safe while driving or to learn more about Alabama’s hands-free law, visit DriveSafeAlabama.org.
