Make the Pledge to Avoid Distractions while Driving for Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and an opportune time to recognize the dangers of distracted driving as well as the simple steps you can take to prevent it.

Whenever you get behind the wheel, you are responsible for your own safety and the safety of other people on the road around you. A driver may be comfortable doing other things while driving, like talking on the phone, texting, eating, drinking, or other tasks, but it takes the driver’s attention off the road. All it takes is one second of inattention to cause a fatal distracted driving accident. Looking down at a phone or even GPS navigation can make a driver miss a green light turning to yellow and red. If there is pedestrian is in the crosswalk when that driver runs the red light or applies his or her brakes too late, it may result in a tragic accident.  

What You Can Do

Any task that takes a driver’s eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off of driving is a distraction and can potentially lead to causing injury or death to someone’s child, parent, spouse, sibling, or best friend. It is important to recognize these as distractions and not do them. This will not only help you drive more safely, but you will then be in a position to avoid dangerous situations that may be caused by other drivers.

For Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Kiley Law Group urges drivers to help keep themselves and others safe by pledging to:

1. Never text and drive;

2. Never talk on a cell phone while driving;

3. Never eat while driving, especially when involving a full meal;

4. Never turn around to have conversations with passengers;

5. Secure children and/or pets when in the car;

6. Never drive while fatigued or drowsy;

7. Never surf the Internet while driving; and

8. Never read or watch video while driving.

If there is an emergency, pull over before making or taking any phone calls or texts. Cell phones haven’t always been around. For the convenience of being able to get personal news wherever a driver is (if he or she has a cell phone), he or she can take the first highway exit or pull over and park before handling the situation.