Auto insurance companies and non-profit organizations in Virginia team up to call the public’s attention to the ramifications of distracted driving.
Drive Smart Virginia, a non-profit organization composed of car insurance companies that serves more than roughly 85% of the state’s policyholders, decided to act on the growing concern regarding distracted driving. As more and more private companies join the organization, the goal of Drive Smart Virginia to make the state’s public roads safe for motorists is slowly coming true.
Reports say that Drive Smart Virginia even conducted a thorough research to uncover the real causes of near-crash and crash incidences in the state’s public road. The result of this study shows that 65% of near-crash occurrences and 80% of crash accidents involve a distracted driving incident at least 3 seconds before the road accident took place. More importantly, the study could identify the activities that can potentially increase the risk of a crash, such as:
• Trying to get a moving object (can increase the chances of crash by 9%)
• Driving while sleepy or drowsy (can increase the chances of crash by 5%)
• Taking a glance at an outside object, reading, calling someone on the phone and putting on makeup (can increase the chances of crash by 3%)
Drivers who are distracted by other things pose a great threat to public roads since they can cause accidents by simply having a quick bite on the go or trying to talk to a friend. According to reports, the vast popularity of the mobile phone caused the gadget to become the main source of the driver’s lack of focus behind the wheel.
Authorities worry that if the cases of road accidents due to distracted driving are not taken care of, further problems may arise. Recently, the state farm of Virginia released a statement stating that 1 out of 137 drivers in the state’s public roads have high chances in getting involved in an auto-deer crash. Authorities worry that now that a new player is more visible on the public roads, distracted drivers will have to pay attention to other motorists and deer who want to get to the other side of the road.
In an effort to get their message across, Drive Smart Virginia is campaigning for more auto insurance companies to a member in the organization and to join their cause. According to the group, they believe that the problem on distracted driving will only be addressed if motorists know the real issues that come with simply trying to call a friend or put on lipstick.
