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.
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.
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.
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!
I had to go to court for my son last night and was quite annoyed by the amount of people that were there for using a mobile phone while driving. Tsk, tsk.
This is super info and every person and teen should read this and be aware how important this is to follow.
I turn my phone off when I get in the car.
I think the safest thing to do is to turn off the phone while driving. Thank you for sharing this post.
These are great tips. Unfortunately, in the Netherlands, I believe hands-free phone use is still legal. There was a movement at some point to disallow all things that could distract someone from driving, but then again that would be hard to enforce. However, you are completely correct to point out that it’s about distracted driving. Hands-free phone use is as dangerous as handheld phone use because it distracts as much from driving. A lot of people still think that as long as they have their hands on the wheel, they’re safe.
I was such a horrible driver when I got my license. I was always on my phone. Thinking back I know it wasn’t safe obviously. These apps and dvds in the headrests playing loudly right behind even an experienced driver’s head are a huge distraction! Excellent info and some good reminders.
Here in Mass, it’s illegal to text and drive, but not talk and drive. I’m sorry, but you can ALWAYS tell when someone is talking on the phone when they are driving – the slow down and pay far less attention.
It’s bad enough we have to watch out for drunk drivers on the road. These days, we also have to watch out for people who think it’s a good idea to read or type while driving a two ton vehicle down the road at 70 miles an hour. Yikes.
This is such an important cause, although it is so sad that this is what our world has come to!
I’m so glad that as of July 1, no more texting and driving in MS. We have to learn how to disconnect and focus solely on driving to save our lives and the lives of others.
I never take calls or text when driving anymore. I think touchscreen phones have made it impossible to do so, and rightly so!
I hope this campaign reaches out my country. Although there are certain rules, it’s not strictly implemented. Some accidents could have been prevented if drivers were not on their phones.
My husband is always on alert when driving because he sees so many drivers texting or talking on the phone while driving. Using cellphone on the road can really kill.
It’s law here, no texting and driving but people still do it. So don’t they drive with children in the car with no seat belts. It’s a shame that they don’t think.
This is so very important. I hate when I see others texting when they are driving. I have seen a lot of people pull over to make their calls which is great!
I always had the kids put the phone in the trunk when we were test driving (when they were learning). They poked fun at me, but they did it. 🙂
Great info! We don’t drive, but Im always seeing others driving while talking on the phone or texting even though it’s illegal here. So dangerous and ridiculous!
I use to be so bad about texting and driving! Ever since having my daughter though I have cut that habit completely. Nothing that important to risk lives over texting…..
I hate when I see people texting while behind the wheel – so silly! It’s so risky!
Those are great tips. I always tell my husband to put his phone away from the dashboard. It is so distracting
I would honestly be just fine if the world did away with cell phones and went back to land lines. We survived just fine then, we’ll survive now. Cellphones are the root cause of so many problems today. I yell at my husband all the time. He is terrible about texting and driving or playing on the phones internet while hes driving. I just know one of these days I am going to get a terrible call.
Gosh, this is scary. I think it’s WAY too easy and tempting to pick up my phone–even for just a few seconds–when it’s right next to me in the passenger seat. I like the idea of putting it in the glove box, especially so you can still use your hands-free driving if it’s installed in your car.
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!
Talking on the phone while driving is really distracting and might cause an accident. It’s really best to turn it off while driving.
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.
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.
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.