We’ve not been touched by a distracted driver…yet. I know it’s coming. It was my biggest fear when my son was learning to drive. I took the pledge in the last week to leave my phone where I can not get to it when I am driving. It’s not that important. It can wait. Don’t let K be the last thing you text and maybe take someone else’s family with you. I didn’t call or text this week when I was out and about. I didn’t miss anything either. Do not let fear of missing out cause an accident! It’s not worth it. Won’t you take the pledge with me next month. Let’s do it not for a week but for a month and put our phones away while driving. NSC (National Safety Council) research has proven when you read a text while driving there’s a 27 second hangover where you’re thinking about the text and not focusing on driving. A 27 SECOND HANGOVER….Let that sink in. Here’s 5 tips for not texting and driving!
1. Hide your phone. I don’t mean just in your purse but put your purse and your phone in the trunk or in the very back seat where you can’t reach it.
2. Have your co-pilot check your texts but if they’re not important tell them to not mention them to you.
No phones to be seen!
3. Make it a point to have everything ready in the car before you pull out of the driveway. So if you need GPS make sure you have it set up. If you don’t need your phone for GPS then hide it.
4. Put your phone on silent so you don’t know you’re getting messages. If you’re just driving 20 minutes away they can wait.
5. Turn off notifications so you don’t hear them constantly going off. We don’t need to know that someone followed you on twitter while you’re driving down the road. It’s not important so leave it silent and unread!
This family took the tech free driving pledge and we’re worth it!
Reseach is showing that voice activated technology is just as distracting. It’s not a safer alternative. Take the pledge with me and don’t do it for a week do it for a month. You can sign the pledge to not use technology here.
Take the pledge for your family! You’re worth it too!!
Is it so crazy to see how many people are distracted while driving. There have has several times where I have been out walking and almost gotten hit by someone on their phone. I put my phone in my purse when driving not worth the temptation of looking while driving.
I can agree with some of the points that are given. I wouldn’t put my purse in the trunk since I can sync it with my car which allows me to answer the phone and play music from it. I do understand you want to take the distraction/temptation away.
Whoa, that is a sobering thought — a 27 second hangover?! As my kids have gotten older, I’ve noticed just how observant they are and I don’t want them to ever think that it is okay to be on the phone while I’m driving. These are all great tips!
That is a long hangover for sure. You wouldn’t think it would last that long but it does.
I have my notifications turned completely off. I don’t see anything until I actually log in to the phone, which I never ever do while driving. Good tips, and I hope everyone follows them!
These are great tips to try and keep the roads a little safer. As it is now every car I see passing by seems to be doing everything but watching the road. It is a scary place to be now when everyone thinks they can do it with no repercussions.
What a great initiative! People are so glued to their cellphones, it’s insane! I like the idea of putting your phone on silent while driving. That removes the temptation to check texts.
I usually lay my phone on the passenger seat so I can see if a call comes in that might be an emergency. Other than that, it can wait until I get to where I’m going. I definitely use my passenger to answer texts for me, like my husband did when we were travelling back across states. People really do need to make driving a priority when they’re behind the wheel!
My other half and I regularly monitor each other’s phones when the other is driving. If there’s anything important, we’ll respond for each other, otherwise it’s just to kill the urge to peek ourselves. There is just too much that can happen in a split second to risk it.
Distracted driving is the one thing I’m petrified about with my kids driving. Cell phones are such a priority all the time, it’s hard to not interact with it when driving, but I try to be a really good example!