AAA encourages safe driving during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
According to AAA, distracted driving kills nine people every day in the U.S. Despite less people on the roads in 2020 during the pandemic, crashes were up.
“You can become distracted in the snap of a finger while you’re driving,” AAA Wisconsin Director of Public Affairs Nick Jarmusz said.
One of the goals of the national awareness campaign is to get everyone to focus on the road. Taking your eyes off of the road for just two seconds doubles the chances of being involved in a crash, according to AAA.
“What we found is that even a two second mental distraction can actually create up to 27 seconds of hazard,” Jarmusz said. “It takes that amount of time, almost 30 seconds, for your brain to catch back up with everything that it missed and fully re-engage with that dynamic roadway environment.”
Jarmusz also said it is important for people to realize that hands-free devices don’t necessarily mean safer driving.
When it comes to #DistractedDriving, remember that "hands free" doesn't mean "risk free."
— AAAWisconsin (@AAAWisconsin) April 9, 2021
Keep your ? on the wheel, your ? on the road AND your ? on the task of driving.#JustDrive. pic.twitter.com/q6ZKAapzHH
“The biggest message that we want to get out there is that when it comes to these technological distractions within the vehicle, is that hands-free does not mean risk-free,” he said.
AAA says distracted driving creates the same amount of danger as driving under the influence. More information can be found on AAA's website.