I was researching distracted driving statistics the other day, and one in particular on the Distraction.gov website stood out:
“Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field, blindfolded.”
An entire football field. Picture the length of a football field, then think about all that could happen on a road in the distance between the two end zones.
The image really stands out.
At any given daylight moment more than 660,000 drivers are using their cell phone while driving in America. Nearly everyone has “just glanced” at their phone to read a text message, check email, or change songs on Spotify.
Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. “Just a glance” still means a significant distance is traveled, even at lower speeds.
With so many drivers on the road haphazardly using mobile devices while driving, the odds of something terrible happening is significant. No fleet can afford this risky behavior. It's time to tighten the grip on driver behaviors to better protect your fleet.
