Distracted Driving Month Re-Scheduled for October
NORTH CAROLINA- April is designated as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month but officials decided that the program would be best moved to October this year because of the pandemic.
In North Carolina, the state planned to inform the public about a hands-free law that could be passed in the state in the near future. The law was up to be decided during the last legislative session but is now left still in the pending phase.
The awareness campaign will focus on getting drivers to put their phones down when they are on the road. The ads will appear on billboards and will be aired throughout the state on the radio. Distracted driving is not only a danger to the distracted driver, but to the other people on the road.
The state reportedly is experiencing an increase in distracted driving incidents and related deaths. Statistics indicate that distractions are the cause of about one in every five fatalities. Tens of thousands of people are hospitalized due to these incidents each year.
Sponsors of the bill point to the fact that a similar law was passed in Georgia and led to a reduction of distracted driving crashes of eleven percent within just six months.
If the law does pass, drivers will still be able to speak on phones if they use headsets or speakers, but will not be able to use their phone for any purpose that involves holding it in their hands. However, one touch functions for music or navigation would be allowed as long as the device was not held. Emailing and texting, which is illegal already, will still be considered against the law.
While phones are the focus of most distracted driving initiatives, they are not the only cause of these crashes. There are many forms of distraction.
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Source:
https://www.fayobserver.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2020/09/04/lets-save-lives-nc-hands-free-driving-law/5689960002/