Curbing Distracted Driving

Image: AAA

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety just announced the results yesterday of its latest research into distracted driving. Lots of interesting stuff there — including a scary observation that a 'five-fold increase in infotainment systems in new vehicles' is predicted by 2018. In other words...if we think we're distracted now, we ain't seen nothin' yet! ('Think You Know All About Distracted Driving? Think Again, Says AAA')

Driving-while-distracted is something any of us can fall prey to, of course, regardless of our age. I sometimes have to stop myself from channel surfing on my car radio so I can concentrate better on traffic — and I can't even imagine how people with a minivan full of kids and a DVD player blurting out Looney Toons manage to drive a straight line.

As those Looney Tunes watchers become new drivers, their parents (and the rest of us) are more than a little worried about their tendency to text their way into crashes. I just came across an interesting idea parents might consider for curbing those tendencies, outlined in 'Guide to Teen Car Insurance and Driver Safety' created by TheSimpleDollar.com: 'Create a safe driving contract with your teen driver, and have them sign it to acknowledge their commitment to road safety. Setting down specific guidelines and agreements will keep them aware of right and wrong, and will set specific consequences if they break the contract.'

Now, if only the rest of us would sign a contract like that with somebody who'll hold us accountable....