Ummmmm…. It’s April??? I guess so! That means it’s gonna be all about Distracted Driving Awareness Month here at Official Driving School. We are sharing tips all month to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and eliminate preventable deaths and injuries.
We talk about the Teen Driving Crisis and the importance of safety a lot around here, but April is the month officially designated to bring nationwide awareness to the issue that is distracted driving.
Let’s define distracted driving:
The main types of distraction while driving are:
- Visual distractions that result in the driver taking his/her eyes off the road
- Manual distractions that cause the driver to take his/her hands off the wheel
- Cognitive distraction where the driver’s mind wanders from focusing on the road
Common distractions while driving include:
- Texting
- Checking social media or emails
- Talking on the Phone
- Watching videos
- Attending to children or pets
- Eating or drinking
- Searching for an item in the car
- Looking at a navigation app
- Personal grooming using the rearview mirror
- Adjusting climate or music controls
Texting while driving is the most egregious distraction, because the driver engages in all three types of distractions at the same time.
Note that there are legal consequences to this dangerous behavior as well. Current Michigan law explicitly prohibits texting while driving. First time offenders are fined $100 and repeat offenders can be fined $200!!
