April is National Distracted Driving Month and Texting is Biggest Challenge
April 1 is the beginning of National Distracted Driving Month, and it’s coming not a moment too soon, if one considers the report just out fromAT&T, part of its “It Can Wait” campaign. The good news: Fully 98 percent of drivers who text while driving realize how dangerous it is. The bad news: Some 40 percent are in the habit of texting while driving on a regular basis, despite being aware of its risk. The surprising news: It’s not the young risk-taking teens who are in the lead with this bad behavior, but instead their supposedly smarter parents.According toCNN, “If you’re holding onto the stereotype about foolhardy teens fiddling with their smartphones while driving, you might want to look at yourself first.” This doesn’t mean that teens are off the hook. While 49 percent of adults text and drive, teens do so at a rate of 43 percent, according to the recent AT&T survey.Dangerous trend is still relatively new phenomenonWhat is disturbing regarding the findings of AT&T’s survey is that, despite knowing the dangers of distracted driving, drivers continue to text anyway. And, in fact, there is plenty to be worried about with this trend.Of those surveyed by AT&T, 6 out of 10 noted that this behavior has taken root in only the past 3 years. This can only lead one to believe that the trend is on the rise, as more and more people begin to feel comfortable using their smartphones on the road.Just how dangerous is this behavior?There should be no mistaking the danger of texting and driving. While many states have put strong law enforcement behind the texting while driving ban, it has not stopped the growing number of offenders. Is this trend something to worry about? Clearly, yes. A study by Transportation Institute at Virginia Tech found that drivers who text while are “23 times more likely to crash” than non-texting drivers, according toUPI.According to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC), 18 percent of all fatal crashes (that’s more than 3,000 deaths annually) are the result of texting while driving, and that number is on the increase.AT&T’s program designed to reduce the riskBegun in 2009, AT&T, which conducted the recent survey, has led a campaign to reduce such hazardous behavior. According to its global marketing officer, the company is seeking to collaborate “with employers, nonprofits, law enforcement, educators, legislators, professional associations and government agencies” to encourage drivers to make a personal commitment not to text and drive, according toCNN.Several government agencies have also taken up the call to action, most notably the National Safety Council and the Governors Highway Safety Commission. Even the President himself issued an Executive Order in 2009 banning Federal workers from texting and driving while on the job (either while in government vehicles or during work hours).Unfortunately despite the intervention by government agencies (and the efforts of organizations such as AT&T), the number of distracted drivers is rising, putting more lives in peril daily.
