DISTRACTED DRIVING

This week's tip regarding distracted driving is especially important. The information comes from Oregon Impact.org.  So what is Distracted Driving?  It is any activity that takes the driver’s attention away from the primary task of driving in any of the following four ways:

• Visually  (keeping your eyes on the road)

• Manually  (keeping your hands on the steering wheel)

• Cognitively  (keeping your mind focused on driving)

• Auditorily  (hearing something not related to driving)

Eating, talking with passengers, grooming, watching a video, using a navigation system, and reading are all significant distractions; but cell phone use is the most dangerous because it distracts focus in all four ways: visually, manually, cognitively, and auditorily.

Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving. So much so that the National Safety Council has declared April as "Distracted Driving Awareness Month". At any given moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using or manipulating electronic devices while driving; a number that has held steady since 2010. Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on America’s roadways. In 2016, there were 3,450 people killed and an estimated 391,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes that involved distracted drivers. Our youngest and most inexperienced drivers are most at risk: 10% of all distracted driving crashes involve drivers under the age of 20.

We urge drivers to learn more about the dangers of distracted driving and to take the following pledge to always drive free of distractions.

Take The Pledge

I pledge to:

• Protect lives by never texting, talking on a cell phone, reading, watching a video, or grooming while driving.

• Be a good passenger and speak out if the driver in my car is distracted.

• Encourage my friends and family to drive distraction-free.

For more information and tips, visit our website at www.lincolncountysheriff.net and Like us on Facebook at Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office – Oregon.