Distracted Driving – Don’t Drive In-Text-icated

You've heard it before, don't drive in-text-icated.  And it makes perfect sense, but then why are so many of us still breaking the ethical rule and safety law? I think we need more example-setters and less exception-makers. Can you be an example setter?  Can you and I make a pact - right here and now - not to touch our phones at all while we're in the car and it's turned on? Seriously, that's a tough proposition.  But my son just turned one and he loves sitting on my lap and grabbing for my phone.  The few times I've let him have it I've watched very closely.  And you know what he does?  He puts his hands on it just like he sees my wife and I do... as if he's taking care of business! Now let's take that example and apply it to texting and driving parents of soon-to-be-driving teens or really anyone... heck even the guy or gal driving next to you later today!  If more of us don't do it than more of us will follow that lead. Click play below and hear the sad statistics of driving in-text-icated.  And let's all plan to not do it ever again. ***Transcript*** Recording date – July 11, 2018, in Los Angeles, CA In-Text-icated Driving  Doug Shupe: You still have 10,000 people a year who die on US roadways as a result of alcohol-impaired driving. But what we hope to do is increase that stigma with texting while driving, Sadly here in the United States, about an average of nine people die as a result of distracted driving every single day, and more than 1000 people are injured every day. Tom Smith: Welcome to iDriveSoCal, the podcast all about mobility from the automotive capital of the United States, Southern California. Tom Smith here. And joining me is Doug Shupe from the Auto Club of Southern California. All of us know it as AAA. And Doug is the Senior Public Affairs Specialist. And today, Doug is joining us for a talk about driving in-text-icated. Doug Shupe: That's right, Tom. Thanks for having me today. "...be a good role model, you know, as a parent, if we want our young drivers to develop safe driving habits early on." Tom Smith: And don't do it, by the way. Doug Shupe: Don't do it. Tom Smith: Don't drive in-text-icated. Doug Shupe: You know, you don't have to go very far here in Southern California on any freeway or any roadway, for that matter, to see people driving distracted by those mobile devices. Tom Smith: Absolutely. Doug Shupe: And you can tell. They're slowing down. They're going much slower than the speed limit as they're concentrating on that phone. They're weaving out of the lanes of traffic. Tom Smith: Smartphones and even back to the BlackBerrys, right? They, I believe, have a definite impact on the already congested traffic that we have on the highways because people realize that, "Oh, it's getting backed up, whatever. I'm just going to check my phone, and not get frustrated with the road." You See it Everywhere Well, then, drivers like me see that. And it's like, "Oh my gosh. There's, you know, a half-mile gap in front of this person because they haven't been paying attention that, you know, it's time to speed up a little bit this particular space, and maybe get going again, right, and get out of the congestion." But no, they need to finish the message that they're dealing with. Doug Shupe: And, unfortunately, what's happening is people are so accustomed to using those mobile devices when they're stuck in traffic that they're now starting to use them when they're going at highway speed. Tom Smith: Yeah, that's scary. Doug Shupe: And it's dangerous. And so, the Auto Club launched a new initiative in April, at the start of April, which was National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.