Transcript

It's time to have the talk distracted driving. What talk did you think we meant? Distracted driving is anything that diverts your attention from the road. Talking to passengers, eating, adjusting controls, personal grooming, texting, taking a phone call, fiddling with hands free devices, These are all distractions when operating a vehicle. In 2017, distracted driving took more than 3000 lives. It's not just dangerous, it's deadly. Here are a few things to remember before you hit the road. Make sure to program the route into your GPS. Adjust mirrors and controls. Make sure windows are clean and clear of moisture. And we're not talking about that tiny little scraped hole that you make when the window is frosted over the size of a grapefruit. Really clear, secure, loose belongings so you're not tempted to reach for them. And always wear your seat belts once you're driving. Avoid personal grooming. Don't be that person shaving on the Interstate. It's not worth it. Avoid emotional conversations. Save those for once you're off the road or in therapy. If something needs your attention, pull off the road safely before removing your focus from driving or enlist passengers to help you. And the big one? Avoid the use of cell phones or hands free devices unless absolutely necessary. Speaking of cell phones, increasing evidence shows the dangers associated with using cell phones and hands free devices outweigh those of all of these other distractions. Reading one text takes your eyes off the road for approximately 5 seconds, so if you're driving 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. If you must use your cell phone while driving, consider pulling over to make or receive calls. Never, ever, ever, ever text. Use e-mail or the Internet, even those built into your vehicle. Hang up your phone calls if you get into tricky traffic situations without warning. If necessary, they'll understand. And to avoid temptation, power down or Stow devices before even heading out. I usually keep my phone on silent in the glove compartment within a waterproof black box locked with triple authentication. But an absence of that. Make sure to keep it somewhere you're not tempted to access it while driving. As a quick rule of thumb, if something prevents you from devoting your full attention to driving, it's a distraction. The time you spend driving with full attention on the road is time added to your life and the lives of your passengers and other drivers. It's that important. Stay in the safe lane. Start practicing good distraction free driving habits today.