At Republic Services, safety drives every decision we make. July is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a companywide effort to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and eliminate preventable deaths and injuries on our roadways, so that everyone makes it home safe at the end of the day.
What is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving is anything that takes your hands off the wheel, your eyes off the road or your mind off driving. It is extremely risky behavior that puts everyone on the road in danger. There are three different kinds of driver distractions:
TYPES OF DRIVER DISTRACTION |
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Visual | Taking your eyes off the road |
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Manual | Taking your hands off the wheel |
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Cognitive | Thinking about anything other than driving |
Texting requires all three types of distraction, making it one of the most dangerous of distracted driving behaviors. However, this is not the only cause of distracted driving. Other common distractions include talking with another passenger, reaching for an object, adjusting the radio or GPS, eating or drinking, allowing fluffy to sit in your lap while driving, driving while angry or sad, and surprisingly, having to go to the bathroom!
Know the Facts
| Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,142 lives in 2020. (NHTSA) | A person who texts and drives is 5-6 times as likely to have a crash than a drunk driver. | 14% of distracted driving casualties come from cell phone use. |
| 80% of drivers admit to some form of distracted driving. | Distracted driving causes about 400,000 injuries per year. | Drinking or eating while driving can be up to 80% risker than cell phone use. |
Take the Safe Driver Pledge
Take the Safe Driver Pledge, a promise to drive safe and distraction free – and ask your loved ones, especially teen drivers, to join you. Take the pledge before July 31, for a chance to win cool Republic Services gear!
Make the commitment to not drive distracted in any way.