April is Distracted Driver Awareness Month
The National Safety Council (NSC) has designated April as Distracted Driver Awareness Month. Certainly there is a lot of discussion about this in the news lately. The State of Vermont is currently debating legislation that may make all hand held devices illegal while driving. Both NH and VT have laws against texting while driving.
Obtaining actual statistics on how many accidents are caused by distracted drivers can be
difficult since the police report usually reads that the cause of the accident was "crossing the yellow line". However, there seems to be plenty of anecdotal evidence that it is handheld devices that cause the crossing of the yellow line.
OSHA has even weighed in on the conversation about texting while driving. A company can be fined if they:
- Require employees to text while driving
- Organize work such that texting is a practical necessity
- Provide any financial or other incentive that encourages workers to text
There was a time when eating while you were driving was the only distraction but in recent years cell phones, GPS devices and MP3 players have caused drivers to have more devices to fiddle with while trying to stay in their lane and keep an eye on what's happening ahead of them.
Clark-Mortenson joins with the NSC in asking that you encourage family members and employees to be aware and stay safe. Please call us today at 877-352-2121, or e-mail us at beready@clark-mortenson.com if you have any questions.
