On February 4, 2012, every parent's worst nightmare became a reality for several families, as well as the entire community of Campbellsport, WI. Three girls from the local high school were tragically killed in a horrific car accident caused by excessive speed.
Distracted driving is a serious and growing problem in our country, so it’s a good thing April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Smartphones, laptops, tablets. Oh my! Digital devices are everywhere! According to a report by eMarketer, the average adult spends 5 hours and 16 minutes a day in front of a screen.
As a parent of a 16-year-old daughter, this summer brings a new experience. Yes, Hannah passed her driver’s exam in April and she is free to drive on her own. This means she can drive herself to work, volleyball practice, and cart around her 10-year-old sister.
Seeing a distracted driver while you are on the road is becoming a common occurrence. According to Distraction.Gov, 3,331 people were killed in 2011 by distracted drivers. In addition 387,000 people were injured. This equates to 9 people killed and 1,060 people injured per day! Inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 are the most likely to be involved in these crashes. Unfortunately these numbers are only going to increase.
Have you ever hit the brakes so hard that you felt like your foot was going through the floor? This happened to me after making a lane change in Milwaukee. I was not distracted, but traffic can stop you in your tracks immediately. Imagine your teen driver in this situation ... having to do this after they look up after sending a text message. Reaction time is significantly reduced when driving distracted. Remember that at 60 mph a car will travel approximately 100 ft per second.
Distracted driving is a serious and growing problem in our country that affects all of us. Distracted driving, as defined by dictionary.com, means “driving a vehicle while engaging in an activity that has the potential to distract the driver from the task of driving.”
Do you feel your life is more hectic than it was even just a few years ago? Maybe you’re eating fast food more often, constantly multi-tasking, cutting out activities you used to enjoy, and getting less sleep. If so, be warned! Sometimes the changes we make to cope with our busy lives come with negative consequences. Auto accidents are one of them.
