Driving expert Douglas Horn stopped by the FOX 4 Morning Show with some important facts about Distracted Driving.
THE FOUR MOST DANGEROUS DRIVING BEHAVIORS:
1. Distracted Driving:
This includes driving while using cell phones for both chatting and texting holiday messages to friends, co-workers, and family. It also includes driving while checking out store hours and locations using a smart phone with internet capability.
2. Impaired Driving:
Year end dinners, parties, and celebrations typically involve consumption of alcohol, and in too many cases, use of drugs. An increase in the number of impaired drivers using the roadways during the winter holidays has been well-established by law enforcement, and the loss of life resulting from impaired driving is well-established.
3. Pressured Driving:
The winter holidays typically bring with them increased pressures, especially financial pressures and the stress created by trying to do too much in a short time span. Drivers often react to these pressures by driving too fast for conditions, making aggressive lane changes, failing to yield right-of-way, and generally disregarding the needs and safety of others using the road.
4. Fatigued Driving:
Increased demands and activity during the winter holidays often means significantly reduced sleep schedules. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, people who slept six to seven hours a night were twice as likely to be involved in a crash as those sleeping 8 hours or more, while people sleeping less than 5 hours increased their risk four to five times.
Click here for more information about distracted driving.
