New Distracted Driving Coalition Brings National Attention to Road Safety
Road safety groups from across the nation have joined forces with the National Transportation Safety Board and other national safety administrations to form the National Distracted Driving Coalition, a group that will devote resources to fighting distracted driving.
The newly-formed coalition will unite dozens of local, regional, and national road safety organizations to promote national strategies and legislation that might make the nation’s roads safer.
More than 3,100 people died across the county in distracted driving crashes in 2019, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
“In no other mode of transportation would we accept the kind of carnage that we have on our highways,” Bruce Landsberg, vice chairman of the NTSB, said during a press conference announcing the coalition. “Distracted driving is one significant and growing part of that. It has to stop. We’re killing literally thousands of people every year.”
In addition to thousands of fatalities, hundreds of thousands of people are injured each year in crashes caused by distracted drivers.
The coalition hopes to encourage states to adopt new solutions to quell the nation’s distracted driving problem, including adopting a measure that would ban the use of all electronic devices for all drivers, except in emergencies.
“States are making some progress addressing this public health problem, but no state has implemented NTSB recommendations calling for a ban on the use of all personal electronic devices while driving except in case of emergency,” Landsberg said.
Currently, 24 states and Washington D.C. prohibit the use of phones by drivers. 48 states and D.C. have banned texting and driving.
The coalition will take a holistic approach in confronting distracting driving, with a focus on data collection, technology, education, enforcement, and legislation
“When we fund impaired driving programs, we should also be funding distracted driving programs,” said Janet Brooking, executive director of Drive Smart Virginia. “When we make strong impaired driving laws with great ease, we should also be able to advance distracted driving legislation.”
Sign Hunter’s Pledge to End Distracted Driving
Hunter’s Pledge was designed to encourage drivers to commit to safe driving habits.
Since 2016, tens of thousands of drivers have signed the pledge and permanently changed their driving behaviors.
Studies show that signing a pledge can dramatically and permanently change behaviors. In fact, 47 percent of people who sign Hunter’s Pledge have changed their driving behavior.
Click here to sign the pledge.
Hunter’s Fund
Hunter’s Fund honors the life of Hunter Watson, a young man of extremely diverse talents who was killed at 20-years-old when he was fatally injured as a passenger in a distracted driving collision.
Through distracted driving education and awarding grants to help young people’s involvement in performing arts, music, computer science, and entrepreneurship, Hunter’s Fund empowers young people in their careers and keeps Hunter’s spirit alive.
Does your organization want to get involved with Hunter’s Pledge? Click here for more information, or contact Laurel Holmes. laurel@hunterwatson.org