By now we all should know what a problem distracted driving is for all of us, whether it’s texting or simply looking down at our smartphones to see who’s calling – those small seconds matter. The Canadian city of Windsor’s police force are launching “Operation Stay Focused” for the entire month of May in hopes of battling distracted driving and bringing more awareness to the issue. Police say drivers cannot possibly concentrate on the road when multi-tasking which could include texting, talking on the phone, or even eating. They say the most common cause of vehicle accidents is distracted driving.
“Increasingly, personal injury accident and fatality accident investigations have determined that distracted driving was a contributing factor,” said Sgt. Matt D’Asti. “The Operation Stay Focused initiative is being implemented to bring attention to these issues and reduce collisions related to driving distracted.”
While I believe most of us already know the dangers of distracted driving and for the most part we try to avoid those things that could cause us to take our eyes off the road. It’s always a good thing to be reminded of them from time to time and the Windsor police are doing just that with “Operation Stay Focused.” I know I have been guilty of sneaking a look at my cell or replying to a text, my own 17 year old daughter has chastised me for doing it and she’s in the right for doing so. Here’s some statistics the Windsor police point to for the likelihood of being in a crash.
- Texting on a cell phone – 23 times more likely
- Talking on a cell phone – 4 to 5 times more likely
- Dialing on a handheld device – 3 times more likely
- Reading while driving – 3 times more likely
- Applying makeup – 3 times more likely
- Reaching for a dropped object – 9 times more likely
Even if you don’t live in Canada, the Windsor police’s efforts should be a great reminder to all of us to keep our eyes on the road and off our phones. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Association also has a sobering reminder via YouTube video that is also a good wake up call to everyone, not just the younger generation, to keep our eyes on the road. Have a look below and stay safe everyone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oeCUM2Alaw
[button link=”http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/distracted-driving-crackdown-launched-by-windsor-police-1.3055736″ icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: CBC[/button]Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
