The Dangers of Distracted Driving

Aug 30, 2013
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Driving a car on the road can be quite a risky choice these days.  The thought of impaired, novice and distracted drivers along with a number of unsafe driving scenarios can leave people anxious any time they must get in a car.  One of the only ways to fight back against unsafe driving conditions—and those who cause them—is to take a defensive driving course online or at numerous on-site locations throughout the United States.

Education and knowledge are power.  Still, many of us are unaware of these very serious statistics and facts concerning the appropriate operation of a motor vehicle. Distracted driving, or driving while engaged in another activity, happens constantly.  Distracted driving can be defined as anything from operating a radio to eating a sandwich in the car while actually driving.  Texting, however, has been proven to be the most unsafe of these activities for a distracted driver.

Technological advances have put a range of media right into our very own cars.  Driving safety has been jeopardized by this bombardment of distractions while in a car.  Many of us can access video calling, email, texts, and even our favorite shows and movies right from our handheld cellular phones.  Although this may sound impressive, it is also creating extremely unsafe driving conditions.   According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 32,000 deaths caused by traffic accidents in the United States in 2011.  Ten percent of those involved distracted drivers.  Sending or receiving a text can increase the likelihood of a crash by three times, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that distracted driving is far more dangerous than drunk driving by a long-shot.  Sound surprising?  In 2006, three scholars in the psychology department of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, using driving simulators, a variety of subjects, a classic screwdriver mixture and several cell phones, demonstrated experiment results that suggested texting was 3-6 times more dangerous than intoxicated drinking.

Can you imagine that something as seemingly so innocent as sending a text could be endangering the lives of others on the road including your own up to 6 times more often than intoxicated driving?  These are the sorts of sobering facts shared and reviewed in driving safety courses anywhere from Texas to Tennessee.  Not only do students learn about such important driving safety facts, they also are given tips on how to spot potentially dangerous scenarios and avoid making common and preventable errors in their own driving behavior.

These days, everyone has a schedule.  If technology has done anything, it has allowed us to be many more places in a day than we ever could before—virtually or physically.  The beauty of an online driving course is that it caters to these needs of the client.  A student can start or stop a “class” anytime they need and sometimes, as many times as they desire, before they conclude a program.  Stress-free timing and low-pressure ease make for very happy customers.

Not only can a defensive driving course make students safer drivers, it can also satisfy a court-appointed requirement, point reduction on a license for anyone with a driving record—from Texas to Tennessee, or even a ticket dismissal.

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