With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you can guess that there will be quite a few people on the road traveling either home for the holidays or away on vacation. Since safety is a top priority here at Thelen Auto Group, we would like to talk about one way to make it safer on the road for all drivers: preventing texting while driving.
Just a few short years ago, this wasn’t a problem as most people did not have the capabilities to use this technology. However, it hasn’t taken long for it to become part of our everyday lives. This can make things difficult while driving, increasing our distractions and decreasing our reaction times. We think, as a text message flashes across the screen, “It will only take a second to respond – What could possibly happen?” However, a lot can happen in just a few seconds. We have seen all the commercials and billboards stating that you can travel the length of a football field in no more than five seconds when traveling at 55mph. You can see how a lot can happen in that distance.
While many people try to stay off of their phones while driving, it is difficult when you have it right there. Therefore, we have some possible tips on keeping you off the phone and your hands on the wheel:
- Put your phone out of reach. The best places would be your glove box, trunk, or backseat.
- You can turn your phone off or put it on silent. Sometimes it is easier to do this even before the car is on to make sure you don’t forget.
- You can always assign someone else in the vehicle to text on your behalf. They can hold onto your phone during the trip and read the messages out loud to you. Then, according to your instructions, they can reply to them as well.
- There are even Apps out there that can prevent texting while driving. For example, DriveOff (an Android App) will lock your phone while you are driving faster than 10mph. It can even sense when you reach these speeds! This is a great tool to use. Other apps can be found by clicking here.
Keep yourself, and others on the road, safe by keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while driving. Have any questions or comments? Feel free to let us know! You can contact us anytime (please visit our Contact Us page for more direct information).
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