Hundreds of lives are destroyed yearly due to distracted driving. Many incidents are avoidable, and Smith System stays dedicated to ending distracted driving and turning the tide on the horrifying statistics.
Distracted Driving Consciousness Month is a superb alternative to lift consciousness about potential distractions and alter behaviors to make the roads safer for everybody.
Understanding Distracted Driving
A distraction diverts a driver’s consideration from driving with full focus and management. Distractions come from all kinds of issues like know-how, passengers, and daydreaming.
Distractions are likely to fall into three classes:
Visible distractions trigger you to take your eyes off the highway.
Guide distractions trigger you to take your arms off the steering wheel.
Cognitive distractions trigger your thoughts to wander from driving.
By remembering the Smith5Keys®, we will set ourselves up to answer a spread of potential distractions safely and responsibly.
In response to statistics from the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving claimed 3,142 lives in 2019 alone in the USA, and it continues to be a number one explanation for crashes. Moreover, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) experiences that every day in the USA, roughly 9 persons are killed, and greater than 1,000 are injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
How Smith System Tackles Distracted Driving
Smith System promotes a proactive method to counteract distractions and instills secure driving habits by coaching and know-how. Every of the Smith5Keys® promotes consciousness and focus (and ignores distractions) behind the wheel.
For instance, when scanning 15 seconds forward (Goal Excessive in Steering®), you possibly can acknowledge, anticipate, and adapt to potential hazards in good time. Likewise, by holding your eyes transferring and sustaining consciousness of the large image moderately than fixing on a single level, you might be much less prone to “zone out” and daydream.
Creating an area cushion round your automobile (Depart Your self an Out®) ensures the elevated capability to reply if one thing distracts you. That is additionally important in mitigating potential distracted drivers. Tailgating is harmful for a lot of causes; first, it is going to probably distract the motive force forward. And secondly, it decreases response instances if the opposite driver does one thing sudden as a result of they’re distracted.
By incorporating the Smith5Keys®, drivers can cut back the danger of accidents and navigate safely by varied driving circumstances, together with these the place distractions are prevalent.
Why Your Group Wants a Distracted Driving Coverage
Past particular person accountability, organizations are essential in (and liable for) selling secure driving practices amongst their workers. Implementing a distracted driving coverage will not be solely an ethical crucial but additionally a sensible necessity for any enterprise.
If a driver is concerned in a crash, it impacts an organization’s funds, authorized standing, and fame. The estimated common price is round $72,442 for an accident brought on by distracted driving.
It’s important to have a distracted driving coverage in place to your workers when they’re conducting firm enterprise. Suppose certainly one of your drivers is concerned in a deadly accident whereas utilizing a cellular phone, for instance. In that case, the group faces extreme penalties if they’re with out sufficient coaching and firm insurance policies. There have been multi-million greenback settlements for the households of victims of distracted drivers. These are avoidable prices which might be by no means well worth the danger at any stage.
For this reason driver coaching, telematics, and evaluation are so essential. With out monitoring and coaching drivers, there is not any solution to know whether or not or not pointless dangers and poor habits are occurring. It may not even happen to some drivers they’re doing something harmful till they undergo a coaching program.
Smith System stays steadfast in its dedication to combating distracted driving by selling consciousness and equipping drivers with the instruments they should keep targeted on the highway. Via the implementation of the Smith5Keys® and the event of distracted driving insurance policies, organizations can play a pivotal function in guaranteeing the security of their workers and the broader group.
In honor of Distracted Driving Month Smith System is offering our Arrive Alive Course for FREE.