As you may or may not know, the month of April is recognized by the National Safety Council as distracted driving awareness month. According to the Kentucky DMV, distracted driving in Kentucky consists of “any type of visual, manual or cognitive distraction that diverts a driver’s eyes, hands, and mind away from the task of operating a vehicle.” In 2017, 8,485 of the automobile accidents in Kentucky were attributed to distracted driving. Moreover, according to an analysis of federal statistics by MoneyGeek, Kentucky, unfortunately, is considered one of the top five most dangerous states for distracted driving. Considering the presented facts and the onset of April already under way, now seems like an especially fitting time to discuss and review preventative safety tips to avoid distracted driving.
- Plan ahead! We cannot emphasize this tip enough. Whether there are calls you need to make, texts you need to send, foods you want to eat, or personal grooming/dressing to go about, accomplish these tasks before you get behind the wheel.
- Stay alert and stay focused always. While driving, the road and its surroundings should always be your primary focus. Do not let mindless distractions divert your attention.
- Employ your passenger’s assistance. If there are capable passengers riding along, have them assist you with sending texts, making calls, or anything else you may need help with.
- Put your phone somewhere out of sight. If your phone’s screen lighting up and constantly buzzing distracts you, remove it from your visual field and stow it away in your console.
- Explore app options that restrict phone usage while driving. If you need further motivation to stay off your phone while driving, there are a wide variety of applications on your phone that possess these types of restrictive features.
- Download your music and set up playlists beforehand. To avoid shuffling through your music applications while driving, download your music and assemble playlists before you begin driving.
- Be familiar with travel plans and navigation before driving. Before you hit the road, review the directions to your destination so that you are not relying on looking at a screen.
- Secure everything in your car before you get on the road. Whether it is your children, your pets, or any other miscellaneous items rolling around your car, make certain all is secured before you begin driving to prevent any potential distraction.
- If there is an emergency you must attend to, pull over. If there if something pressing that needs your immediate attention, find a safe location to pull over.
With all these tips in consideration, stay safe and smart Kentuckians! If you or a loved one have been injured in a car accident, please do not hesitate to call Dixie Law Group at 502-290-2397.
