Kids fighting in the back seat? Asking questions about how you’re driving? Begging for you to play their CD? GPS telling you to turn right immediately when there is no right turn in sight? Phone buzzing with the sound of a new text message?
All of these have happened to me, sometimes all at the same time. I frequently find myself telling my kids that I’m trying to concentrate on my driving and therefore can’t pay attention to them for the moment. In a world where almost everyone has a smart phone, people begin to expect immediate responses to emails and texts. Like I tell my kids “I can’t talk right now, I’m driving,” it is just as important not to feel the need grab the phone the minute it buzzes or rings. The Decide to Drive program aims to empower drivers and passengers to speak up about distracted driving, continue the conversation at home, work and play, and reduce distracted behaviors behind the wheel.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Auto Alliance want to increase awareness about the risks of distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), of the nearly 33,000 roadway fatalities in 2012, there were 3,328 fatalities and approximately 421,000 injuries in distracted driving-related crashes. Orthopaedic surgeons—the specialists who put bones and limbs back together after road crashes and traumas—along with our partners, the automakers, would rather help all drivers “decide to drive” each time they get in the car and to keep bones and limbs intact. Remember, the most advanced safety feature of any vehicle is the driver. The AAOS and the Auto Alliance urges all drivers to keep their most sophisticated safety features engaged at all times: eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Check out this Wreck-Less Check List for advice on ending distracted driving:
Do you have the best slogan or catch phrase to make the Decide to Drive campaign pop? Enter the Decide to Drive Catch Phrase Contest between May 28 – June 13. Your words could be chosen as the official Decide to Drive campaign catch phrase, and you could win one of two $500 runner-up prizes or the $1,000 grand prize! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Enter here: http://clvr.li/1nwa6CV
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.