You’d never think of drinking and driving, but what about talking on a cell phone while driving? It might surprise you that a conversation on a cell phone slows reaction time as much as driving with a blood alcohol level of .08%. In fact, some studies showed that talking on a cell phone resulted in even more accidents than drunk driving. As Americans drive twice as many miles per year as we did in 1980, it seems the distractions are growing exponentially while becoming even more hazardous.
Cell phones might be the most notorious culprits, but you might be surprised how dangerous kids, pets, makeup, and even your morning cup of coffee can be. When it comes to insurance, tickets for “careless” or “reckless” driving can really hurt, not to mention they’ll make your premiums inflate as well. Careless driving could cause your car insurance to jump by 16% while reckless driving tickets cause rates to go up more than a first-time DUI. Do your part to stay informed on the dangers of distracted driving to protect others and yourself.
Joel Feldman
Joel Feldman is the father of the late Casey Feldman and founder of the Casey Feldman Foundation and its sponsored project, EndDD.org. He has been a practicing attorney for 34 years and a shareholder in the law firm of Anapol Weiss in Philadelphia. He received a masters in counseling in 2013 and speaks throughout the U.S. and Canada to teens and adults, changing attitudes and behaviors through the science based, End Distracted Driving program. Joel also provides death notification training to law enforcement and the medical community. Joel can be reached at [email protected]
