April is National Distracted Driving Month; it’s a great opportunity to raise awareness and to consider our own driving habits and eliminate any possible dangers.
Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention away from driving; these activities include talking and texting, eating and drinking, talking to others in the car and viewing the navigation system. At 55 mph, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds; long enough to cover a football field.
The number of crashes caused by distracted driving increased in 2016. In Massachusetts, that number has increased more than 12 percent to 389 – that is more than double the national average of 5.6 percent. Massachusetts has a safe driving law, which bans sending, typing, or reading electronic messages to or from a hand-held device while operating a motor vehicle.
The 6 New England states are raising awareness of distracted driving to reduce the number of deaths and injuries with the motto “Just Drive New England.”
Continue to follow NEW Health for more health and wellness tips and information at northendwaterfronthealth.org.
