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Distracted Driving Awareness Month – Put Down the Phone

In honor of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I’d like to encourage you to put down the cell phone. Distracted driving is an extremely dangerous thing. All it takes is one second of not looking at the road to change your life or someone else’s life forever. A call or a text just isn’t worth it. Sponsored post; all opinions are my own.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month - Put Down the Phone

Tips for Distracted Driving Awareness Month and All Year, Too

I’ve been in my fair share of close calls. All of them were back in the days when a cell phone was JUST for talking. Back then, video chatting, apps, and all of that weren’t around. Texting was the big thing. Thankfully, I never got hurt, and I never hurt anyone else, but some of those close calls could have been avoided if I hadn’t had my phone in my hand.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month is so important, because it’s so easy for all of us to forget that a car is really a ginormous death machine if we don’t conduct ourselves responsibly. The average weight of a car is around two tons. TWO TONS. Imagine two tons of metal traveling at 55 miles per hour hitting anything. It’s not pretty. That’s why being focused while driving is so important.

When we’re behind the wheel, we need to be laser focused on the world around us, not texts or alerts, so I’ve put together some tips to help us make Distracted Driving Awareness Month every month.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month - Put Down the Phone

Turn Off the Phone

If your phone is off, you can’t use it. So turn that puppy off whenever you’re driving. It helps you resist the urge to pick it up every time you hear that familiar *ding* alert telling you that you have a text or someone liked your Facebook post.

Put Your Phone in the Glove Box

Of course, turning the phone off may not be enough for some people. It’s not like you can’t just hit a button to turn it back on again. Try putting it in the glove box. You probably aren’t going to be reaching across to your glove box while your zipping down the road. At least, I hope you aren’t!

Put Your Phone in the Back Seat

Still not sure if you can resist the urge? Throw your phone in the backseat. You might be able to justify reaching across to your glove box to snag your phone, but reaching behind to the back seat? If that doesn’t scream a need for Distracted Driving Awareness Month, I don’t know what does.

Take out the Battery

If you’re a hard core phone addict, take the battery out of your phone before you get behind the wheel. You may be unable to resist the urge to go for the glove box or the back seat, but there’s no way you can drive AND put the battery back into your phone. This is the nuclear option for those of you who are glued to your phones.

Stay Away From the Dashboard Screen

Distracted driving isn’t just about the cell phone. With the smarty pants cars that are on the road now, the dashboard touch screen system is another huge distraction. This one is just going to require sheer willpower. The most you can do is keep the phone away from your mitts and make sure you don’t connect it to the car’s bluetooth.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month - Put Down the Phone

Take the Distracted Driving Awareness Month Pledge

Distracted driving can and does kill. Is a Facebook message really worth your life or the lives of your children or the children in the next car? No. It’s not. I took the pledge, and you should, too. Visit Calls Kill to learn more about Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and click here to pledge to put down your cell phone when you’re driving. That means staying away from the dashboard system, too, folks!

Michelle @ Dishes and Dust Bunnies

Tuesday 7th of April 2015

It's so sad how accidents and deaths happen from something that's completely preventable. It seems to be happening more and more - hopefully more awareness will be brought to this.

Yona Williams

Tuesday 7th of April 2015

It's amazing how many people still drive distracted by their phones where I live, despite the huge fine that follows if you get caught. I don't have my license, so I don't need to worry about this. However, when I do - I certainly won't be talking or texting while doing it.

Angela

Tuesday 7th of April 2015

I have been in the car with plenty of people who get distracted not only by answering a text or call but by other silly things. Thankfully never been a car accident but whos says it wont happen tomorrow? I love this post thank you so much for sharing.

Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen

Tuesday 7th of April 2015

Talking on the phone while driving is really distracting and might cause an accident. It's really best to turn it off while driving.

Cara (@StylishGeek)

Monday 6th of April 2015

I am quite passionate about this topic and was even part of a campaign in my blog. Kudos to you for sharing what Distracted Driving is and helping spread this message!