Distracted driving remains a concern for traffic safety professionals. In a study of 2020 statistics, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) found an overall increase in distracted driving from 6.8% to 9.4%. Areas where distracted driving found the highest increase in distracted driving were at city streets with less than one in ten drivers driving distracted in 2019 increasing to nearly one if every five drivers driving distracted in 2020. County roads saw a doubling of distracted driving from 6.5% in 2019 to 13.2% in 2020.
Non-cell phone related distraction more than doubled
on city streets and more than tripled on county roads between 2019 and 2020. Cell
phone use also increased in 2020 with an 86% increase on city streets and a 25%
increase on county roads. State routes saw a slight decrease in non-cell phone
related distraction.
While all distracted driving is a concern, driving
while holding a cell phone remains number one on WTSC’s priorities. As a
reminder, it is against the law to hold your cell phone while you are driving.
And that includes stopped at a stop light. You can use your phone if it is hands-free,
and you can use the cell phone with a single touch or swipe of your finger. A
good habit to get into is to mount your phone on your dashboard. You can also use
your cell phone when you are parked or out-of-the-flow of traffic or to contact
emergency services.
WTSC recommends that when driving you,
·
Set it and forget it: Turn your phone off,
set it to “do not disturb,” or put in in airplane mode.
·
Out of reach, out of mind: Put your phone
physically out of reach, like in the glove box, backseat, or trunk. Or give it
to a passenger.
·
Plan ahead: Take 10 minutes before you hit
the road to take care of things that could distract you like phone calls,
eating, or setting up navigation or music for your drive.
·
Take a break: On longer trips, take a
break every two or three hours to use your phone, change playlists, or have a
snack.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. All
through the month local law enforcement agencies will be conducting extra
patrols to look for distracted drivers.
WTSC and your local law enforcement agencies all
encourage you to take steps not to be distracted while you drive.
For more information on distracted driving and how you
can help prevent distracted driving, check out the following links,
Washington Traffic Safety Commission:
https://www.togetherwegetthere.com/distracted-driving/
https://wtsc.wa.gov/programs-priorities/distracted-driving/
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