It has been said that the dangerous habit of distracted driving has reached epidemic proportions. Each year, more than 3,300 fatalities and 410,000 car accident injuries are caused by distracted drivers.
At any given moment, approximately one in ten drivers are behind the wheel while operating an electronic handheld device. With so many engaged in this dangerous behavior, how do we break the cycle and make our roads safer? The answer may be to start with our children.
Parents of school-aged children are probably familiar with Fire Prevention and Safety Week, in which kids are visited at school by a volunteer of a local fire company and taught about fire safety. Often these kids return home eager to practice what they’ve learned, to locate and inspect the household smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, and map out the family’s fire escape plan. Now, some are hoping to channel this kind of enthusiasm toward another safety issue – texting while driving.
Firefighters called to the scene of accidents are regularly first-hand witnesses to the deadly consequences of distracted driving. Drawing from their experiences, some firefighters and other EMS officials have begun to incorporate talks about safe driving into the presentations they give during school visits and station tours. By educating kids at an early age, they hope to empower them to drive change.
Kids Possess the Power to Reduce Distracted Driving Accidents
Parents and other caregivers know that distracted driving is dangerous. In fact, a recent survey has revealed that while 98% of people agree that texting while driving is dangerous, a whopping 74% admit they do it anyway. Though it seems that the various education campaigns about the dangers of distracted driving have been successful in informing the public, they have not done much to deter them.
Children often have a powerful influence on parents’ decisions when it comes to safety. By giving kids knowledge and a simpleto use the next time their parent driver picks up their phone, EMS officials hope that kids can make a positive difference, one vehicle and one driver at a time.
The same theory holds true vice versa. Research has proven that parents who model safe driving practices have children who are much more likely to do the same. While teaching kids at school is a start, it is the responsibility of everyone who gets behind the wheel to put the phone down and focus on the road.
