Hardwood Floors April/May 2019

By Stacy Brown

increased with the performance of many secondary tasks, including texting and dialing cell phones. Text messaging is of heightened concern because it combines three types of distraction – visual, manual, and cognitive. In other words, texting involves taking your eyes o the road, your hands o the wheel, and your mind o the task of driving.

– that should be OK.” ey couldn’t be more wrong. Driving is an activity that requires your full a ention and focus to keep yourself and others safe. According to a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (V I), sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes o the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55 mph for the length of an entire football eld. A 2014 article in the New England Journal of Medicine found that the risk of a crash or near-crash among novice drivers

While those numbers may sound like just statistics, they’re anything but. e individuals involved could be parents, children, coworkers, and friends. As anyone who has lost a loved one in a crash can tell you, even one tra c fatality is one too many. e reality is that this unnecessary risk can be eliminated with a few simple behavior changes:

• Speak up when you are a passenger and your driver uses an electronic device while driving. O er to make the call for the driver, so his or her full a ention stays on the driving task. • Always wear your seat belt. Seat belts are the best defense against unsafe drivers. • Pay a ention to others who may be distracted. In areas with heavy pedestrian and bicycle tra c, be sure that individuals crossing in front of your vehicle are aware of you and not on their electronic devices.

• Turn o electronic devices and put them out of reach before starting to drive. • If you must use your cellphone, pull over to the side of the road or into a parking lot to safely complete your call or text. • Be a role model for other drivers and set a good example. • Discuss the dangers of distracted driving with your family, friends, and coworkers. e NHTSA and National Safety Council (NSC) have numerous free resources available to communicate this critical topic at nhtsa.gov and nsc.org. While safety should always be the key priority, it’s also important to understand that distracted driving can be a legal issue. Amajority of states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. Several have primary enforcement laws – where an o cer may cite a driver for using a handheld cellphone without any other tra c o ense taking place and give the driver a ne. Some states prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cellphones while driving. Be sure you’re familiar with the speci c laws in your area before you hit the road; a helpful list is available at drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/distracted-driving.

So the next time you are pressed for time and it seems like multitasking in the car is the best decision, remember those lives that were taken because someone decided he or she could do two things at once. A text or call is not worth your life, or anyone else’s. Stay safe. Sources: AAA Digest of Motor Laws, drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/distracted-driving/

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Driver Electronic Device Use in 2016, June 2017, nhtsa.gov National Safety Council, nsc.org/road-safety/ safety-topics/distracted-driving

the magazine of the national wood flooring association

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