1st annual DNDWD Day was October 20, 2022 and is scheduled annually on the 3rd Thursday in October.
Distracted driving continues to be a terrible problem on our roads. We are still killing about 3,000 of us each year and injuring another 400,000. Plus, since distracted driving crashes are vastly underreported, the actual numbers are even worse.
We need to employ all means to reduce these senseless crashes. EndDD.org, as a member of the National Distracted Driving Coalition, https://usnddc.org/do-not-disturb-while-driving-day/ along with over 15 other partners, launched the first “Do Not Disturb While Driving Day,” to highlight how we can avoid being tempted to use our phones while driving by using “Do Not Disturb” features on our phones. All smartphones have these features we just need to turn them on. Less than 25% of iPhone users have engaged the feature, “Focus/Driving” on their smartphones. Many thanks to Honda Corporation for their support allowing us to create this PSA which was a central feature of the “Do Not Disturb” campaign and is part of our adult and teen presentations.
The campaign was very successful with many organizations joining our effort across the country. There was a lot of media coverage and here is a link to an interview of Joel Feldman by CBS 21 Harrisburg, PA.
“Many of us have good intentions and do not want to use our phones while driving,” said Joel Feldman, “but when we hear the notification it’s really hard to resist the urge to rake a quick look. So, by blocking incoming notifications when the car is moving, we won’t be tempted to drive distracted. It’s easy, and it’s the right thing to do.”
Here is a link to the PSAs EndDD created for the campaign:
