Constant distractions are everywhere inside and outside your truck. Your cell phone, the dispatching device, food, passengers, and billboards can all be huge distractions from the task of driving. Even your four-legged companion’s persistent request for a bio-break can interfere with your focus.
Enter Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Distracted Driving Awareness Month
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that eight lives are lost each day in crashes attributed to distracted driving. Hundreds more are injured.
To help address this serious issue, the NSC has launched a program to encourage drivers to take a no distraction pledge for the month. And it’s for good reason.
- At 55 mph, reading or writing a 5-second text takes your eyes off the road while you travel the distance of a football field.
- In 2020, 3,142 people died in crashes caused by distracted driving.
- In 2019, more than 424,000 people were injured in crashes involving distracted drivers.
- About 20% of people who die in crashes involving a distracted driver are not in vehicles―they are walking, riding their bikes, or otherwise outside a car.
- Drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in a safety-critical event.
In addition to the harm that distracted driving can cause, truck drivers have financial ramifications.
- Drivers can be fined up to $2,750.
- Two violations will put the driver out of service for 60 days.
- Three violations can result in up to 120 days out of service.
- The driver’s employer can be fined up to $11,000.
Resources and Training
As we enter the last weeks of the month, it’s important not to let efforts to eliminate distracted driving wane with the end of April. Several resources and training exercises are available to help you become a distraction-free driver for the long haul.
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA)
- National Safety Council (NSC)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
If we all do our part in the driver or passenger seat, we can make the road a safer place for everyone.
—
The England Carrier Services (ECS) division offers various services for carriers ranging from maintenance to support. As ECS members, carriers have access to nationwide discounts on fuel and tires from dedicated team members committed to finding the best price. ECS also provides factoring services with benefits such as same-day funding to a bank account or fuel card. These options allow carriers the freedom to focus on growing their business while saving time and money.