Social media is here to stay. For many of us, it is integrated into our social life, our work, and is unavoidable. We also know that distracted driving can be dangerous, even fatal, yet many of us engage in texting and driving. According to a poll taken in November of last year by HealthDay of 2800 Americans many engage in distracted driving. Here are some of the statistics from that poll:
- Over 1/3 of drivers (37%) have sent or received text message while driving, and 18% said they do it regularly.
- About 13% of adult drivers have surfed the Internet while driving.
- Results of the poll showed that younger drivers were more likely to engage in distracted driving. Men were more likely to drive while drowsy, drive after drinking, read a map, use a GPS system, and use the Internet.
A large percentage of the people said they know distracted driving is dangerous, but do it anyway.
Another statistic worth noting, about 6000 deaths and a half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers every year.
So we know that distracted driving is dangerous, to ourselves and others, but what can be done when a common day requires timely responses to text messages, emails and tweets?
Here are three options:
PhoneGuard
This app automatically turns on when the vehicle is gong faster than 10 miles per hour. Once the car reaches 10 on the speedometer, the keypad on the cell phone is blocked, so that driver can’t read text messages, send a text or surf the web. Once the car slows down to below 10 miles per hour, the app turns back off. It will also send an automated response to whomever texted you explaining that you are driving- a message that you can customize.
For more information visit: http://optionsmedia.com/
Text Toggle
You must turn this app on when you get in your car. Once turned on, the app makes sure that you don’t get phone calls, text messages, emails, etc. Once you turn the app off, all of your texts and phone calls you may have received while driving show up on your phone. The app also features a customizable automated response that will be sent to those who have contacted you while you were driving.
For more information visit: http://supportsafety.org/
