Distracted driving on the rise: It can wait

The telephone has come a long way since it was first invented in 1876. Today, those telephones are portable mini-computers that help us navigate this fast-paced world.  We may even feel the constant pull to multi-task and gather more information while we travel.

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as multi-tasking. If your mind is focused on your cell phone, the radio, eating, or even talking with passengers while you drive, there could be deadly consequences. 

There were 432 traffic fatalities in Kansas last year and The National Safety Council said that 40,200 people died in crashes across the United States. 

Many of those fatalities could be attributed to distracted driving, including the use of mobile phones.

The Federal Communications Commission has some sobering distracted driving statistics:

- Over 8 people are killed and 1,161 are injured daily in incidents reported as distraction

affected crashes in the United States.

- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2015, there were 3,477

people killed and an estimated additional 391,000 people injured in motor vehicle crashes  

involving distracted drivers.

- At any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell

phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since

2010.

- In 2015, the National Occupant Protection Use Survey reported that handheld cell phone

use continued to be highest among 16-24 year old drivers.

For as often as we discuss the dangers of distracted driving, the numbers continue to rise. We need your help to get the message out to friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors that lives are on the line every time they use a phone while driving.

Be an example- You know that it is not safe to text and drive. You may know that no message, snapchat, social media post or Tweet is worth risking lives over. So act on that knowledge and teach others to do the same.  If you are teaching a new driver how to operate a vehicle, educate them on the importance of putting your phone away.

If you need to make a phone call, or check your phone, pull over to a safe place and answer or text before you return to the roadway.

Speak up- If you see a driver you are riding with texting or using social media, tell them to put their phone away while they are driving. It may seem hard to speak up, but be brave - it could save lives. 

Check out this powerful video from NHTSA and see how sending a message while driving could be the last words someone will ever say.

Don't Text #Just Drive

We are including the information below as one of our safety blogs - this important initiative just began and is focused on reducing texting and driving. We hope you join this vital safety effort as well as participate in this spirited competition between Kansas universities. A video news conference featuring state, business and university student leaders speaking on Don’t Text #Just Drive is available at www.ksinsurance.org/justdrive/media.php.

 Pledge contest focuses on no texting while driving

Kansas Commissioner of Insurance Ken Selzer, center, and other officials
speak at a news conference kicking off the Don't Text #Just Drive campaign.

Students and supporters of seven Kansas universities can advocate for friendly competition this fall while challenging themselves and others to stop texting and driving.

The Kansas Insurance Department, insurance companies and governmental sponsors have created the “Don’t Text #Just Drive” campaign to get university students and supporters to pledge to stop texting while driving.  “We think this is a great way to promote a worthy goal of saving lives,” said Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance. “You pledge to not text and drive, you pick your school and you cast your vote. Alumni, supporters and students of these Kansas schools show their support for the campaign and participate in a friendly competition at the same time.”

Supporters of each participating university will be able to take the pledge two ways: Online or by text messaging. The number of pledges each school receives will be compared to its official fall 2016 enrollment to calculate a percentage. Results will be tabulated and the winner announced during university athletic contests this fall and winter.

Participating schools are - University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Wichita State University, Fort Hays State University, Pittsburg State University, Washburn University and Emporia State University.

Voting began this week and ends Nov. 22. Pledge votes can be cast by texting 50555 and choosing one of the school keywords: KU, Wildcat, Shocker, Tiger, Gorilla, Ichabod, or Hornet. Voters can also go online at engage.att.com/icwkansas. More information about the campaign can be found at www.ksinsurance.org/justdrive.

Kendall Schoenekase, Miss Kansas 2016, is promoting the campaign as well. She has chosen “Stay Alive, Don’t Text and Drive” as her campaign issue during her reign as Miss Kansas. (Kendall is also participating in the safety blog series and will be featured next Monday, Sept. 26.)