April is National Distracted Driving Month

Distracted driving is not just texting or making calls on a cell phone, but any activity that diverts a driver’s attention and puts the driver, passengers and everyone else sharing the road at serious risk. Although cell phone use, including texting, is at the top of the list of distractions, eating, grooming, talking, GPS use and adjusting the radio are also included.

Currently 46 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. All but five have primary enforcement, meaning you can be stopped solely for distracted driving. Of the four states without an all driver ban, two prohibit texting by novice drivers and one restricts usage by school bus drivers.

Traffic experts classify distractions into three main types: manual, visual and cognitive. Because text messaging requires all three from a driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.

Distracted driving remains one of the most underreported traffic incidents because drivers are very unlikely to report it to the officer documenting the crash. Currently, officers do not have the ability to verify cell phone usage after an accident. The National Safety Council estimates that at least 28 percent of all vehicle crashes are caused by texting and cell phone use. An estimated 38 percent of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes were using cell phones. Included in this number, drivers in their 20s account for 23 percent of drivers in fatal crashes.

With these numbers on the rise each year, what can our industry do to reduce this growing risk to society? Educating drivers of the dangers is a simple way to combat the issue. You can ask your insureds these questions to build awareness:

• “Are you aware of the danger involved with texting while driving?”
• “Have you ever texted while driving?”
• “Do your children have cell phones?”

If parents want to track their child’s texts and cell phone usage to help them develop safe cell phone habits, parental control software applications are available. In a recent comparison, Mobile Spy, Phone Sheriff and Mobilestealth rose above others because of their extensive remote functions, quality of data and the alerts they offer. Mobile Spy is by far the most extensive in its reporting capacity.

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