XENIA — In an effort to make the roads safer, the Greene County Safe Communities Coalition, part of Greene County Public Health (GCPH), announced that it is using the “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All” campaign to help stop distracted driving. The coalition has pledged its support to help spread the message that distracted drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but also to everyone else on the road.
“We all know that talking on our cell phones while driving is distracting, but that doesn’t stop most people from continuing to do it,” said Jillian Drew, Safe Communities Coordinator. “This effort is intended to educate our community about the dangers of cell phone use and other distractions while driving. We hope that once people see the statistics and realize the danger involved, they will change their driving habits to help protect themselves, their families, and others on the road.”
In 2013, 3,154 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 424,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. That same year, eleven percent of fatal crashes were reported as distraction-affected crashes.
While anything that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off the task of driving is a hazard, there is heightened concern about the risks of texting while driving because it combines all three types of distraction – visual, manual and cognitive.
The national distracted driving effort focuses on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness and education – the same activities that have curbed drunk driving and increased seat belt use.
GCPH is sharing safe driving messages via social media on their Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the month of April as well as sharing the message at local health fairs and high schools.
“Every driver in Greene County has a role in this effort,” said Ms. Drew. “However, we especially want to reach out to parents with teen drivers because we know that statistically, the under-20 age group had the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes.”
Greene County’s goal with this campaign is simple — save lives by getting drivers to remember that “One Text or Call Could Wreck It All.”
For more information about distracted driving, please visit www.distraction.gov, or contact Jillian Drew at 937-374-5683 or by email at [email protected].
