Talking on a cell phone while driving a vehicle can create a very dangerous situation, and possibly with a fatal outcome. When a person speaks by phone, the person focuses on several things. You need to place your cell phone close to your ear, listen to what is communicated to you, process what was told, and think about the response of the conversation. All these steps you do while driving your vehicle. Using a hand to drive a vehicle dramatically reduces reflections in order to react correctly to unexpected obstacles.
Driving and talking on the cell phone causes distraction and prevents paying attention to the things that the vehicles around you do (Example: vehicles that brake suddenly or emergency vehicles, police that come behind you and you have to move to the right to let them pass). See pedestrians crossing the street. A study conducted by “The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project” in 2009, indicates that approximately 75% of adults speak by cell phone while driving a vehicle.
But there is still something more dangerous than talking on the phone and it is reading, writing, and texting while driving. Every time you do any of these activities, you take your eyes off the road / street you are driving. This behavior could have fatal consequences. In the same study in 2009, they concluded that 47% of adults read or send text messages while driving. There are many families that have been tragically impacted by distracted drivers because of the cell phone.
Every year in the United States, 6,000 people die and half a million more are injured due to accidents, where the main factor that contributed to the accident was distracted driving.
Who is at risk?
Distracted driving is a problem that occurs in people of all ages. However, adolescents and young adults are the ones with the highest risk. Most teens and young adults say they have written, sent or read text messages while driving. Younger and inexperienced drivers have the most fatal accidents caused by distracted driving. If you are a parent, teach your child about the dangers of talking or using text messages behind the wheel and save them with the teen drive safety app.
How does teen drive safety app help?
Teen drive safety app such as FamilyTime offer a handful of valuable features that help parents monitor their kids while driving. This helps them decide whether to allow teen to drive alone or not, along with controlling their distractions to some extent. With the app in hand parents can:
- Set speed limits for your teen’s drive rules
- Receive instant over-speed alerts on the violation
- Use the virtual map to track the current location of the teen
- Check where they have been all day long
- Geo-fence specific places to receive instant alerts whenever they enter or exit those places
- Get panic alerts if they feel emergency, and instantly check their current location
- Schedule auto screen locks on teens’ devices during the drive
- Remotely lock their phone to avoid distractions
And there is much more that parents can do. So, be a smart parent and take your steps to secure your teens even on the road with the teen drive safety app. As for us all being parents, keeping kids safe is our first priority.