The annual Traffic Safety Culture Index from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety will soon be released, and once again it will take a hard look into the driving habits and attitudes of American drivers.
And if our accident rates are any indication — it’s not going to be pretty.
To help make our roads safer for all, officials have been working to tackle three of the most dangerous driving habits — impaired driving, distracted driving and drowsy driving. Our Lauderhill car accident lawyers understand that officials with AAA recently kicked off their Drowsy Driving Prevention Week campaign. The latest U.S. accident data shows that Americans continue to discount the risks of drowsy driving, but many admit to getting behind the wheel when they’re so tired that they can hardly keep their eyes open.
Earlier this month, officials focused on distracted driving. According to the latest reports, drivers unanimously agree that distracted driving is dangerous and most drivers are in favor of hands-free devices to help to eliminate the problem. Unfortunately, hands-free devices have been proven to still cause serious cognitive distraction.
With the holidays, officials focus on the dangers of impaired driving. AAA officials estimate that nearly 90 million Americans will be hitting the roads over the season and many will be drinking. So this topic is more important than ever — especially considering that alcohol-related car accidents account for about a third of all traffic accident fatalities. And over holiday periods, those numbers spike.
Drowsy Driving:
-Nearly all (close to 95 percent) of U.S. drivers say that it is somewhat or completely unacceptable for somebody to drive when they’re so sleepy they have trouble keeping their eyes open.
-More than 25 percent of U.S. drivers say they’ve driven drowsy at least once in the last 30 days — so much that they had a tough time keeping their eyes open behind the wheel.
Distracted Driving:
-Nearly nine in ten survey respondents saying distracted drivers are a somewhat or much bigger problem today compared to three years ago.
-The “do as I say, not as I do” attitude identified in previous years held strong in 2013. Drivers expect other drivers to hang up the phone, but most drivers are not willing to do so themselves.
Drunk Driving:
-More than 95 percent of U.S. drivers think that it’s somewhat or completely unacceptable for someone to drive when they think they may have had too much to drink.
-About 20 percent of licensed drivers in the U.S. report that they have driven at least once in the last year when their alcohol level was close to or even over the legal limit.
With the holiday season and with the New Year quickly approaching, we’re asking you to focus on safe driving and to make a resolution to step up safety to help ensure a safe 2014.
If you or someone you love was injured in an accident, contact Freeman Injury Law at 1-800-561-7777 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
Christmas Most Dangerous Week of Year for Aggressive Driving, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, December 12, 2013
Elderly Drivers, Snowbirds, Focus of Broward Traffic Safety Efforts, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, December 5, 2013