Distracted driving is one of the fastest-growing safety issues on the roads today. Distracted drivers aren’t just a threat to themselves: they’re a danger to everyone else on the road.
With more portable technology now than ever, drivers now face an unprecedented number of distractions. We live in a world where people expect instant, real-time information 24 hours-a-day, and those desires do not stop just because people get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Not all distractions are caused by electronic devices, but drivers using hand-held devices while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
Consider these statistics about teen driver cell phones:
- 11 teens die every day in the U.S. as a result of texting while driving.
- 94 percent of teen drivers acknowledge the dangers of texting and driving, but 35 percent admitted to doing it anyway, according to an AAA poll.
- 21 percent of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents were distracted by their cell phones.
In an effort to combat distracted driving, the Iowa Legislature passed a more comprehensive electronic communication devices law. Beginning July 1, 2017, Iowa’s distracted driving law became a primary law, meaning a law enforcement officer can stop any driver who is texting — whether reading, writing or sending — or using any other portable electronic device, unless the motor vehicle is at a complete stop and off the traveled portion of the roadway.
Be part of the solution: “Put it down” when driving!
