Distracted Driving: Tips for Staying Safe

Many states, including my own, have passed laws that prohibit texting and driving. I, for one, think this is smart. Texting, using your cell phone, or messing around with your radio are some of the many distractions in the car. Screaming kids in the backseat or back talking teenagers are also very distracting. For new drivers and teenagers, distractions are especially relevant, but there certain things you can do to stay focused. .

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or fussing with their electronics at any given daylight moment. From a 2011 NHTSA study, statistics show the number of injuries resulting from distractions are steadily rising. These are really big numbers, and all parents can help to reduce the frequency of these types of accidents simply by keeping their eyes on the road.

To keep you and your family safe when you are behind the wheel MetLife Auto & Home offers to keep you safe:

1. With more cars that have advanced technology, and huge involved interfaces, it’s easy to get distracted and forget that you are driving. Trust me, the new most popular song on the radio isn’t worth your life. These type of distractions can cut your reaction time, and most accidents occur only in seconds. Keep your eye on the road.

2. Driving when you’re tired compromises safety Before you get behind the wheel, make sure you are awake enough to drive your car. Recognize the signs of that you’re too tired to drive, which include difficulty focusing, blinking a lot, being irritable, and frequent yawning. Please take the appropriate action.

3. Make driving your number one priority when you’re in the car. Avoid talking on your cell phone, texting or checking social media when in your car. If this means putting your phone into your glove box or center console then so be it. Talking on the cell phone increases the likelihood of getting into an accident, so if you absolutely need to make a phone call you should pull over to the side of the road. Encourage your teen drivers not to text and/or talk on the phone while driving

4. Although simple things like changing the radio station or finding that awesome song that you have to turn up may seem pretty harmless, but it’s a huge distraction.

5. Even without external distractions, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking about your problems, an argument you just had, or a stressful day at work. If you are losing focus behind the wheel give yourself a wake up call and set aside your problems. Don’t drive when you aren’t in the right state of mind.

Check out this site for more: www.distraction.gov. DISTRACTION.GOV is the official U.S. Government website for distracted driving, and includes a lot of helpful information and tips for ways to help reduce the amount of distraction-related crashes and injuries.

Did you know? By purchasing home or auto insurance through your employer, you can save money by taking advantage of group discounts. If your or your spouse’s employer offers MetLife Auto & Home‘s group insurance program, you could receive special savings-others who switched saved an average of $466/year!*

When are you most distracted by while driving? Is it texting? Phone calls? Turning around to look at the kids? Discuss your biggest driving distractions and measures and you plan to take to minimize these dangerous activities in the comments and MetLife Auto & Home will send one of you a $100 American Express gift card for participating in the conversation!