April 1 will kick off Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Evansville, WY Police Department has already started bringing the issue to your attention with a new Facebook post.

Some of the eye-opening facts in the post are:

NINE Americans die every day because they choose to drive and do not fully pay attention to the road.

60% of severe teen car accidents are a result of distracted driving.

Three seconds of driving at 65 mph is the same as driving the length of a football field while blindfolded.

Using your phone while driving increases the risk of an accident by 400%

We're all guilty of driving distracted. Some have had to pay with their life or someone else's life. Wyoming is one of the top five states with the highest percentage of fatal crashes because of driving while distracted.

When you think about distracted driving, you automatically think about talking or texting on the phone, but anything that takes your focus off the road is a distraction.

  • Eating or drinking
  • Messing with your radio, navigation system, or other entertainment sources
  • Talking with passengers
  • Daydreaming
  • Rubbernecking an accident
  • Singing

Distracted driving isn't a new problem, but it worsens yearly, and there are ways you can help lower the stats.

Setting a good example for your kids is one way to prevent distracted driving. 48% of teens say they've seen their parents talking on the phone while driving, and 15% admit to seeing their parents texting while driving.

Use cell phone blocking technology.

Share stories and videos of how families have been affected due to distracted driving.

 

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