AAA – Month of April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month 

The month of April is Distracted Driving Awareness month, AAA says. The organization is encouraging drivers to pledge to be distraction free for this month and beyond. AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety found 93% of drivers do recognize the dangers of texting, emailing, and reading while driving, but will still continue to do so when behind the wheel.

Furthermore, 27% of drivers have reported sending either a text message or email with 37% admitting to reading a text or email while driving; 36% were reported holding and talking on the phone while driving in the past 30 days.

“With April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month, it’s the perfect time to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, which takes thousands of lives every year,” said Elizabeth Carey, Director of Public Relations at AAA Western and Central New York. “This is also the ideal time for drivers to break their bad habits and pledge to remain distraction free, not just in April, but every time they get behind the wheel.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2022, 3,308 people were killed with an estimated 289,310 people injured from traffic crashes that involved a distracted driver. AAA added due to limitations in collecting data, the numbers are believed to be even higher.

The organization also reminds that if you travel at 55 mph and take your eyes off the road for only 5 seconds, you travel the same distance as the entire length of a football field. Options are available to prevent yourself from becoming distracted when driving. Those include using a driving focus feature on your phone, pulling over to answer a call/text, speaking up if you’re in a passenger with the driver distracted, and putting your phone away and out of sight.