There are plenty of different reasons that car crashes take place: aggressive drivers, bad weather, faulty vehicle equipment, road rage. However, one of the biggest causes of car accidents in the country is simply distractions: drivers talking on cell phones, brushing their hair, looking at a passing landmark, glancing at a map, changing the radio station.
These acts seem harmless, but in fact they can cause injury, property damage, and even death. According to a University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center study, a quarter MILLION serious car crashes each year happen due to driver distraction.
“We found that 15 percent of the drivers in the study were not paying attention, and just over half of these (8.3 percent) were distracted by something inside or outside the vehicle,” said Dr. Jane Stutts, manager of epidemiological studies at the UNC center and author of the study.
Because we are always interested in promoting safety and reducing the number of car accidents and fatalities throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, and the District of Columbia, we have focused our library items this month on preventing driver distractions and promoting driver alertness and focus.
Please read our following Library Item additions: