April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This is an important reminder to drivers everywhere that they should practice safe driving habits.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration defines distracted driving as any activity that diverts attention from driving that includes talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system — anything that takes your attention away from the road.
The NHTSA’s latest research shows a promising statistic: passenger vehicle drivers talking on handheld phones decreased from 2.5 percent in 2021 to 2.1 percent in 2022.
Lukas Partners client UScellular suggests the following tips to help drivers remain focused while driving.
· Use Do Not Disturb While Driving. Built-in phone features are available to help drivers stay focused on the road. Driving Focus and Driving Mode can be utilized on iPhones and Android phones to enable “do not disturb” features that include limiting notifications, calls and texts when driving.
· Utilize Hands Free Options When Necessary. Smartphones can be a resource for music and driving directions. Before you hit the road, connect your device to your vehicle. This pairing process takes just minutes.
· Take advantage of apps. A wide range of applications are available to help eliminate distractions, focus on the road and track locations. OnMyWay allows drivers to earn money for every mile they do not text or use distracting apps while driving.
· Establish rules of the road for new drivers. For parents of teens or young adults, a simple yet effective step is to establish rules and expectations with loved ones before hitting the road. UScellular and Screen Sanity offer a free, customizable Smarter Start Toolkit to help aid in this process.
· Encourage safe, responsible driving behavior from the passenger seat. Passengers also have the power to help stop distracted driving behavior. Speak up if a driver appears to be distracted and ask them to focus on driving.