April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. During this observance organizations around the country focus on making the roads safer by preventing distracted driving. The roads are more dangerous than ever, with everyone returning to their regular travels and commutes after the pandemic.
Distracted driving can take many forms: eating, drinking, applying makeup, dealing with passengers, and of course, talking or texting on a cell phone. Distracted driving causes 280,000 injuries a year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Keeping drivers and passengers safe is an important goal of Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
West Bend has launched a new campaign, called West Bend Focus. Our loss control experts have created and gathered resources for all types of drivers and employers, and we’ve added them to our new webpage dedicated to distracted driving. This page contains statistics, laws in different states, and articles highlighting the issue of distracted driving and ways drivers can stay safe. Our team has also created videos that discuss different aspects of distracted driving, like cognitive, manual, and visual distractions along with personal stories about the impact of distracted driving. Videos will be released throughout the month so be sure to check back often!
We all know distracted driving is a problem. However, it’s a problem we can work to solve with education and knowledge. Taking the responsibility for staying distraction-free while driving is an important first step toward eliminating this issue.
