If you had to make a list of the most dangerous things that someone can do behind the wheel of a car, drunk driving would probably be right at the top. While the severity of that particular issue should not be understated in any way, it actually isn’t the number one threat that drivers face. Distracted driving deaths have actually eclipsed drunk driving deaths in recent years and that is one trend that unfortunately shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Because April is “Distracted Driving Awareness Month,” it’s important to shine a valuable spotlight on this issue so that you can understand the genuine danger that it presents – and what you can do to help put a stop to it.
The Dangers of Distracted Driving
According to one recent study conducted by the NHTSA, distracted driving claimed the lives of over 3,100 people in 2017 alone. Speeding and using a cellphone while driving are hardly just “mild distractions.” They lead to issues like hard braking, hard cornering, rapid acceleration and other behaviors – all of which can quickly turn deadly before someone even realizes they have a problem in the first place.
Texting while driving is particularly problematic, both for average drivers and those operating a motor vehicle in a professional capacity. Consider the following statistics:
- The National Safety Council revealed that about 1.6 million car crashes happen every year because at least one driver was on a cellphone.
- Texting while driving causes nearly 390,000 injuries on average per year.
- Nearly one out of every four car accidents are caused by texting and driving.
- To put that into perspective, this type of distracted driving is literally six times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
Any one of these statistics taken on their own would be enough to underline the fact that distracted driving is a problem to be taken seriously. When considered together, however, they paid a vivid picture of just how harrowing this situation has become and why we must all do our part to address it as soon as we can.
Ultimately, this is also why solutions like Predictive Coach are so important – particularly for fleet managers. It automatically assigns behavior-based driver training based on actual driving data from the telematics devices that get installed inside every vehicle in your fleet.
At that point, you don’t have to take a driver at their word that they’re obeying the rules of the road and are following all best practices. You’ll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, because you finally have a chance to wade through all of that telematics data and uncover the true story hidden underneath.
Not only can this help reduce speeding, hard cornering, rapid acceleration and other problematic behaviors, but it also helps unlock the most important benefit of all: you have a genuine opportunity to become the shining example of a fleet that cares about ridding our society of distracted driving issues once and for all. Not just in April when the topic is on the forefront of everyone’s mind – all year long.
If you’d like to find out more information about how you can do your part to help combat the dangers of distracted driving, or if you’d just like to learn about our innovative technology can help reduce dangerous driving habits in your fleet by as much as 74% in some cases, please don’t delay – contact us today.
