PennDOT Reminds Drivers to Focus Full Attention on the Road

PennDOT Reminds Drivers to Focus Full Attention on the Road

4/7/2016-HARRISBURG

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation joins the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration in recognizing April as National Distracted
Driving Awareness Month, and reminds all motorists that driving is a skill
that
requires their undivided attention.

"Every time someone diverts their attention from the task of driving – even
for
a second – they are putting themselves and others at risk," said PennDOT
Secretary Leslie S. Richards. "Driving is a skill that requires one
hundred
percent of your attention one hundred percent of the time."

Distracted driving is any action that draws attention away from the safe
operation of a vehicle. There are three types of driver distractions:
visual,
causing drivers to take their eyes off the road; manual, causing drivers to

take their hands off the wheel; and cognitive, causing drivers to take
their
mind off the road.

One dangerous activity that involves all three types of distraction –
texting –
has been addressed through the state's anti-texting law, which took effect
in
March 2012. The law prohibits text-based communication while driving, and
makes
texting while driving a primary offense carrying a $50 fine.

According to PennDOT data, more than 14,800 crashes involved a distracted
driver in Pennsylvania in 2015, with 66 deaths in those crashes. Over the
past
five years, over 11 percent of Pennsylvania crashes involved a driver
distraction, resulting in more than 300 fatalities statewide.

To help avoid distractions while driving, PennDOT recommends that drivers
follow these simple safety tips:
• Store or turn off cell phones while driving. If you must make an
emergency
call, safely pull over to the side of the road.
• If traveling alone, set your GPS, radio and temperature controls before
beginning your trip.
• If traveling with pets, be sure that they are properly restrained. Better

yet, leave them at home. Even a minor crash can result in a major injury to
a
pet if it is not properly restrained.
• Never operate your vehicle and attend to a child at the same time.
• If you drop an object while driving, leave it until you reach your
destination or pull over safely to the side of the road before retrieving
it.

For more information on distracted driving and the state's anti-texting
law,
visit www.justdrivepa.org and look under "Traffic Safety Information."

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews.


MEDIA CONTACT: Alexis Campbell, 717-787-0485 or Ashley Schoch, 717-783-8800

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