Distracted Driving Initiative

Some school buses in our area are already on the roads every morning. But the majority will be running starting next week. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration deems school buses the safest way for students to travel.

While you are going about your everyday routine, somewhere in America, tragedy has struck. At least nine Americans are killed in car accidents – every day – due to distracted driving. A staggering 49% of adults admit to texting and driving while 98% admit they know it is unsafe. In other words, they are willing to risk it.

Amanda Clark was willing to take the risk. In 2006, Amanda was talking on her phone when she lost control and rolled her car over. Fortunately, she walked away and told everyone – from her diary to her classmates – that she would put her phone away while in her car.   A year and a day later, Amanda drove off a California freeway embankment while texting. This time, she did not survive.

Here are the stats:

• 1 in 4: the probability that a car wreck involved a cell phone
• 40%: the percentage of teens who say they’ve been a passenger in a car where the driver used a cellphone.
• 33%: the percentage of drivers ages 18 to 64 who admit to reading or writing text messages while driving in the previous month.
• 4X: the increased risk of a crash if driving while using a cellphone
• 23X: the increased risk of a crash if driving while texting
• 2: the number of seconds a driver can safely look away from the road
• 5: the number of seconds a driver looks away to send a text

Distracted driving isn’t just texting. It’s talking on a phone – even hands free. It’s eating while driving. It’s fiddling with the music selection.   They all take your attention from the road.

This school year, The Law Offices of William K. Goldfarb, have started a new initiative with our area schools to help keep our kids safe. It’s an eye-opening presentation designed to get the attention of our youngest drivers so that they think twice before driving while distracted. We are offering to present this program to any group of school kids – large or small – at no charge. If the schools can give us just 45 minutes, perhaps we can prevent some heartbreak.

Please let your school’s principal know that you’re concerned about this and encourage them to schedule the presentation if they haven’t already.

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