TO THE EDITOR

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month in the United States. It’s a great time for every motorist who gets behind the wheel to recommit to focusing on the task at hand and avoid distractions.

During Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I’m joining with safety advocates across the nation, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.

Did you know that sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds? At 55 mph, that’s like driving 100 yards, the length of a football field. Eight people are killed every day in crashes involving at least one distracted driver.

Distracted driving can cause a driver to veer off the road or hit another car. That can result in property damage, personal injury or loss of life. According to the NHTSA, 3,522 people lost their lives in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2021. Approximately 32,000 have died in such crashes from 2012-2021.

While younger drivers from 26 to 24 years old are districted at higher rates than older drivers, motorists in all age groups are at risk for distracted-driving crashes.

Distracted driving puts pressure on insurance companies to raise automobile insurance rates due to the number of claims filed as a result of crashes.

When we talk about distracted driving, we usually focus on texting or talking on a cell phone. But there are many other forms of distracted driving.

Anything that takes your concentration away from the task at hand while behind the wheel would be a distraction. That includes eating, drinking coffee, setting the navigation system, putting on makeup, changing the radio station or tending to a child in a car.

Here are some things you can do to maintain concentration on the road and avoid distracted driving:

— If you need to send a text or email, pull off the road and safely part before sending the message.

— Select a passenger to be a “designated texter” for you.

— Set your radio station or navigation system before you start driving.

— Don’t scroll through apps, websites or social media while driving. If you think you’ll be tempted to do so, you can turn your phone off, put it in airplane mode or put your phone in the glove box or back seat while you’re driving.

— Ask someone else in the car to tend to the needs of children while you’re driving.