DISTRACTED DRIVING

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Driving safely can be challenging enough when full attention is given to the road and its potential hazards. Driving while operating a cell phone, adjusting the radio, or eating and drinking can be distracting and potentially dangerous.

• Drive carefully and responsibly. Concentrate on the road, not on the conversations around you, the music playing on the radio or CD, or the friend calling on your cell phone.
• The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that beginner drivers should be prohibited from driving between certain times, specifically midnight to 5 a.m.
• Limit the number of people in your car. The NTSB recommends that young, novice drivers with provisional (intermediate) licenses should have passenger restrictions. Unless accompanied by a supervising adult driver who is at least 21 years old, provisional licensees should be prohibited from carrying more than one passenger under the age of 20 until they receive an unrestricted license or for at least 6 months (whichever is longer).
• Make adjustments to vehicle controls – such as radios, air conditioning, or mirrors – before beginning to drive or after the car is no longer in motion.
• Don’t reach down or behind the driver’s seat, pick up items from the floor, open the glove compartment, clean the inside windows, or perform personal grooming while driving.

Cell Phone Smarts

• Don’t talk on your cell phone while driving. Let your wireless
  network voice mail pick up your calls when you are driving.
• Be a “Cellular Samaritan.” Stop your vehicle and use your cell phone to report crime, emergencies, accidents, or dangerous driving situations. In many places, dialing 911 is free. (Dialing 911 from a cell phone usually reaches state police, so be sure about your location when you call.)
• If you have to use your phone while driving, pull off the road, stop, and then dial.
• Get to know your phone and its features, which include speed dial and redial.
• If you must use a cell phone:
  
  • Keep both hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road. Remember that safe driving is a priority.
    
  • Assess the current traffic situation before making or receiving any calls. Do not answer or dial the phone when driving in hazardous conditions.
    
  • Pull over to the side of the road before beginning a cell phone conversation, or wait until you reach your destination. The safest time to use a cell phone while driving is when the vehicle has stopped.
    
  • Become familiar with how to use the phone. Read the manual and know how to use the available features.

A Note About Text Messaging Text messaging or using wireless technology that requires keyboarding is not safe under any circumstances when the car is moving and you’re the driver! Would you want to be sharing the road with someone who’s text messaging?

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