Imagine driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed; that’s what happens when you look at your phone for five seconds while driving.
With October designated as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and in order to promote and urge all citizens to be conscious and refrain from texting, or any other activity that could cause you to become distracted while driving, Smithfield Mayor Andy Moore had proclaimed October 26-31 as “Distracted Driving Awareness Week.” The 2018 North Carolina Department of Transportation Crash Facts reports over 281,685 crashes with over 19% of those crashes attributed to drivers that were distracted in some way.
The most common causes of distracted driving are talking and texting, GPS, adjusting music or controls, applying makeup, talking to passengers, handling children or pets or simply “zoning out.” Tips to avoid texting while driving include turning your cell phone on “silent” mode, turning your cell phone off completely, or putting your cell phone out of reach while driving.
Mayor Moore encourages all citizens to make a renewed commitment to focus on driving carefully for the safety of themselves, their passengers, and all others sharing the road.
