April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Make Safe Driving Decisions, Particularly in School Zones, To Save Lives

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in the U.S. in 2021. This represented 8% of all traffic accident deaths that year. According to data from the National Safety Council, an average of nine lives are lost each day due to distracted driving.

Throughout the month of April, we challenge all drivers to prioritize safety behind the wheel by signing up for our  Zero in on Safety pledge, which aims to reduce distractions and promote safe driving decisions.

“As a retired police chief, I’ve seen too often how small distractions can lead to life-changing consequences,” said Placido Diaz, senior account manager. “My hope is that by raising awareness, we can help prevent future incidents and ease the burden on our police and first responders. We also celebrate states, counties and cities that are making the decision to embrace technology to help improve driving behaviors.”

Several states have recently taken legislation actions to curb distracted and reckless driving. California adopted a speed safety pilot program for six cities; Florida embraced school zone and school bus safety solutions; and Washington passed new legislation in March to expand speed safety cameras to zones beyond that of any other state. Other states, including Pennsylvania and Connecticut, are working to expand work zone safety solutions to further protect workers from distracted and reckless drivers after successful speed safety pilot programs.

As a leader in road safety technology, we want to promote five actions drivers can take to help reduce distracted driving:

1. Turn off the phone – while hand-held device use has gone down in recent years, manipulation of hand-held devices has increased 127% since 2012, according to the National Safety Council. It’s not enough to just put the phone down; turning it off prevents the urge to use it even when stopped.

2. Don’t respond – aggressive driving can often influence drivers and result in reciprocated aggression. This can be very stressful. Remember to stay calm and don’t respond to other drivers who are driving recklessly.

3. Prepare before you drive – programming navigation systems or even manipulating music preferences during driving is a part of distracted driving. Plan your route and select music before shifting into gear.

4. Know the risks – beyond electronic devices, other behaviors such as drowsiness, eating, and focusing on other passengers are among the biggest distractions to drivers. Keep focused on driving and if needed, pull over to deal with risky driving distractions.

5. Take the pledge – saying that one will commit to fewer distractions is one thing; signing a pledge is an actionable commitment. Share that pledge with your friends and family to keep yourself and others accountable.