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How Colorado is Fighting Distracted Driving

Written by AskTheLawyers.com™

How Colorado is Fighting Distracted Driving

Written by AskTheLawyers.com™

AskTheLawyers™

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Colorado state officials are currently pushing for a campaign that motivates drivers to simply put that smartphone down. After all, what causes the vast majority of distracted driving? Mobile devices.

Distracted Driving Statistics That Might Surprise You

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) reported an alarming average of 43 daily car accidents all over the state caused by distracted driving. These accidents accounted for roughly 13% of all the state’s crashes. Crunch the numbers more, and you’ll realize that more than 15,600 crashes involving distracted driving occurred last year with 6,269 of them involving injuries. In 53 of them, fatalities occurred. And it’s all due to someone texting, checking social media, reading emails, or calling someone on the phone while driving. When many admit that they use their phone while driving—about 90% of those surveyed, in fact—the danger is clear.

How Is Colorado Managing This Campaign?

Communication: that’s what matters most. And education. Officials instruct drivers to install and take advantage of a multitude of tools at their disposal. If you have an iPhone, for example, you have a feature on the device that allows you to block notifications while driving. The same goes for certain Android models. If you happen to not have that feature at all, the following third-party apps make it possible:

  • Life Saver
  • SafeRide
  • True Motion Family
  • Driving Detective

Smartphones Aren’t the Only Distraction

It may be the biggest issue, but there are other factors to distracted driving, such as:

  • Playing with the radio
  • Eating food
  • Messing with the GPS
  • Reading a map
  • Paying too much attention to your passengers

So as much as it’s all about education and utilization of technology, the focus for eliminating distracted driving completely—and saving lives—is a complete change in lifestyle.

Make No Mistake: It Is a Collaborative Effort

And, for sure, one state alone can’t simply make it ‘happen’. For a campaign to be successful, everyone—drivers, officials, pedestrians—must be on board to make this a movement. You don’t want to get caught distracted while driving and pay a $1,000, or worse, cause a severe accident. Avoid it by practicing not only the defensive driving you’re supposed to adhere to, but the lifestyle of someone who won’t get distracted by technology or others.

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