April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, so we wanted to take a moment to share some facts about distracted driving in the hopes of encouraging people to be as safe on the road as we know our drivers are. Together, we can help spread awareness and make the roads safer for everyone.

As you likely know, the most legislated and potentially dangerous distraction on the road is texting/having phone conversations while driving. It is estimated that at any given time during daylight hours, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating some type of electronic devices while driving. Because texting requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most serious distraction.

Eating and drinking while driving comes in a close second behind phone use in terms of frequency as a distraction to drivers. Also on the list of potential accident-causing distractions are conversations with passengers, grooming (especially application of makeup), reading (including maps), using a navigation system, watching a video and adjusting a radio or audio player.

The statistics are sobering. In 2012, an estimated 421,000 people were killed or injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. Engaging in the visual – manual – cognitive tasks of operating a phone increases the risk of an accident three times. While texting, a driver’s eyes are off the road for an average of five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field, but blindfolded.

Help us get the word out and make the roads a little safer for all drivers by talking to your friends and family about the dangers of distracted driving. After all, who better to discuss safe driving than professional truck drivers?