Eliminate these Bad Driving Habits and Save Lives
Bad driving causes accidents, and accidents cause injuries and deaths. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report, “Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Fatalities in 2012” reveals that 34,080 people died in car crashes on American roads in 2012. That figure is a 5.3 percent increase over 2011 highway fatalities. It shows a reversal in a six year trend of decreased auto-related deaths. The complete 2011 data documented 2,217,00 injuries due to auto crashes.
Auto accidents cause injury and death. Some accidents occur due to weather, adverse driving conditions, and a mix of complicated circumstances. Others are simply caused by bad driving habits. Fortunately a few changes in the way Americans drive could lead to a future reduction in the number of deaths and injuries. Here are a few of the worst driving habits to avoid.
Drinking and driving
In 2011, the NHTSA documented 9,878 auto fatalities involving an “alcohol-impaired” driver. Alcohol-impaired is defined as a person with a blood alcohol content (bac) of .08 grams per deciliter of blood or greater. In 2011 over 1.21 million American drivers (1 out of 173 licensed drivers) were arrested for falling within the definition of alcohol impairment or for ingesting narcotics. Breaking the bad habit of drinking and driving could save lives.
Speeding
NHSTA statistics show that 22% of fatal accidents in America involved speeding. It makes a lot of sense. The impact of a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed is far greater than one that’s moving slowly. All a driver has to do to make the change to a slower, safer speed is allow a little extra drive time and ease up on the gas pedal.
Not using passive protection
More than half (52%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes in 2011 were unrestrained. That means adults weren't wearing seat belts, and children weren't riding in the appropriate safety seat for their age and weight. 77 percent of persons were killed when completely ejected from private passenger vehicle. None of those victims were wearing seat belts.
The NHSTA estimated that 292,471 private vehicle passengers were saved because they were properly restrained before a crash took place. To save more lives, drivers need only develop the habit of buckling up.
Distracted driving
While texting and cell phone usage aren’t the only types of distracted driving, they are a growing part of the auto injury/fatality equation. Government statistics show that a texting driver is 23 times more likely to be in a crash. 2011 data show that cell phone use was involved in 18 percent of distraction-related fatalities. In 2010, distracted driving was a factor in the auto deaths of 2,092 people and cause an estimated 416,00 injuries.
Distracted driving is such a key factor in causing auto accidents, the government has establisheddistraction.gov, a website that deals with the safety issues. As the site says, “One text or call could wreck it all.”
These bad driving habits seem simple enough to change, yet every year they cause multiple deaths and injuries. If one person makes a commitment to change one bad driving habit, it could mean at least one less traffic death or injury listed in future accident statistics.
