These days it seems as though a day doesn’t go by that we don’t hear about another fatal accident caused by a distracted driver. In April, 2010, a New York State college student died in a single car roll-over after drifting off the roadway. Police say she was driving and texting at the time. The previous month, a driver apparently reaching for a cell phone was blamed for causing a three-vehicle crash that killed a 1-year-old Minneapolis-area boy.
According to the latest figures from The U.S. Department of Transportation, approximately 6,000 people are killed and 500,000 more injured each year in accidents blamed on distracted drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 80 percent of all motor vehicle accidents and 65 percent of near crashes are caused by driver distraction. So what’s being done to improve driving safety?
* The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is in the process of implementing a new multi-year Distraction Plan and Research Agenda that examines whether high-visibility enforcement and media attention can reduce a driver’s use of cell phones while driving.
* Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia prohibit novice drivers from using electronic communication devices (including cell phones) during the learners and intermediate stages of a three-stage graduated driver’s license (GDL) program. Six states ban hand-held cell phone use for all drivers, and 19 states ban texting by all drivers.
* The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently launched a national campaign to encourage the public to get involved in ending distracted driving. “Put It Down” focuses on the key messages that drivers can’t do two things at once. Learn more about “Put It Down” by logging on to www.distraction.gov.
* Auto insurance companies are now offering driving safety programs that encourage young people to become better drivers. Allstate, for example, has a Teen Safe Driving Program that offers parents five ways to protect their teen driver and themselves from the dangers on the road.
Among the important tools parents will find on the company’s website: a parent-teen driving contract, articles that offer tips on how to get your teen ready for the responsibility that comes with driving and detailed information about how to save money on car insurance when you add a young driver to your policy.
The easiest way to keep costs down is to be sure you’re taking advantage of all the discounts available to you. Many companies offer Good Student discounts for teenagers with good grades. Allstate even offers a safe driving bonus. Customers have the opportunity to earn up to 5 percent of their premiums for every six months of accident-free driving.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
