I’ve seen some crazy things out on the roads lately. So when did shaving while you are driving become commonplace? Does putting on mascara at the stoplight sound like a great idea? Does that picture really need to be uploaded to facebook while you are commuting to work? As the mom of 2 teen drivers, safe driving is something I think about a lot. Distracted driving has become a concerning trend in this country and especially in the State of Virginia.
I admit it, I am guilty of distracted driving myself. There have been times when I heard that ping on my phone and I just could not resist taking a look to see who it was. I did not even think about how taking my eyes off of the road to look at my phone for just a few seconds could really lead to disaster. While at the launch of the #PhonesDownTouchDown campaign last week, I learned a few startling facts.
-Taking your eyes off of the road for just 5 seconds (the average time it takes to read a text) while traveling at 55 mph, you would cover the entire length of a football field.
Kirk Cousins launches the #TouchDownPhonesDown campaign
Kirk Cousins, the Washington Redskins quarterback, helped to launch the new #touchdownphonesdown campaign against distracted driving last week along with Transurban, the 95 and 495 express lanes, VDOT, AAA , the Virginia State Police and the Virginia State Police .
The goal of the #TouchDownPhonesDown campaign is simply to “Empower drivers to commit to traveling safely and encourage them to share that commitment with their friends and family”.
With the holiday season upon us, we are distracted enough with all of our commitments. Let’s put the phones down while driving. No matter where you live, safe driving is something we all could be more vigilant about.
Will you join me to take the pledge against distracted driving and make the holiday season safer for all of our families?
(This post was sponsored by Transurban. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)
Thanks for the reminder.
I am that lady putting in makeup in the car 🙁
It’s so easy to get distracted especially this time of year
Wow, that last statistic is frightening! Well, they all are, but the idea of teenagers who are mostly inexperienced drivers anyway, are pretty sure they can text and drive scares the heck out of me
I know! It really hit home for me it’s quite scary
I’m guilty of this myself. Great reminder to keep those phones put away!!
Yes it’s so easy to get distracted while driving so much going on all the time
Ugh. My husband is the WORST with texting and driving!!! Thank you for sharing such an important topic!! – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
It really is such a problem now that we all need to pay more attention to. Maybe you can get him to take the pledge
I am very conscious of not looking at my phone while driving unless I’m using Waze and then I have it so I can hear the directions.
I swear that I am not making this up… Many years ago before my mobile phone had a camera, I was sitting at a traffic light in Herndon and noticed the driver moving a lot in her seat in a small car next to me. Since I was in my higher SUV I had the perfect bird’s eye view of this women with a towel wrapped around what I assume was wet hair putting her bra on. I kid you not! I can only guess that the wife came home unexpectedly and this woman had to book it out of there, and in a hurry!
Oh goodness! I have seen some crazy stuff out there too. It never fails to amaze
UGH! Texting and driving is absolutely terrifying! I will admit to texting at RED LIGHTS or STOP SIGNS but never while in the act of driving. I am also very appreciative of voice to text – that has helped a lot. That being said, my habits are still not the best, but I am working on them. Los Angeles Traffic = the worst and boring though, LOL!
I am working on it too! It’s not always easy but wow the statistics are scary
This is a BRILLIANT idea! In Australia (or at least in our state) it’s illegal to text and drive (or use your phone at all – including phone calls) and I know it has made a HUGE difference to traffic incidents and deaths.
It’s illegal in many states here as well but that does not seem to stop people