March 30, 2017 – New York, NY – On March 20, a 16-year-old Grand Rapids boy was driving eastbound on Leonard Road in Tallmadge, Michigan. Investigators say that he was looking at his phone while driving. When he looked up, he saw a stopped school bus with red lights flashing and slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision. He lost control of the car and went off the right side of the road before rolling several times. The teenager was listed in stable condition as he was taken to Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Hospital in Grand Rapids.
The outcome could have been more severe if this teenager was not as lucky. Each day in the United States, over 8 people are killed and 1,161 injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver, according to National Center for Statistics and Analysis.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. We here at EXP are advocates of safe driving and aim to spread awareness whenever possible.
Distracted driving from hand-held devices to infotainment systems have all played a roll in the spike of car crashes in recent years, yet more awareness is needed to help make an impact on the reduction of distracted driving.
Here are some useful resources we have compiled to help increase the awareness:
Stay Safe on the Road Infographic (courtesy the AllStateBlog)
https://blog.allstate.com/distracted-driving-staying-safe-on-the-road-infographic/
Free Cell Phone Policy Kit (courtesy National Safety Council)
http://safety.nsc.org/cellphonekit
Distracted Driving: One Call Can Change Everything (courtesy National Safety Council)
http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/distracted-driving.aspx
