{"id":286,"date":"2025-04-01T07:12:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T11:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/?p=286"},"modified":"2025-05-01T08:04:43","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T12:04:43","slug":"news-headline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/news\/news-headline\/","title":{"rendered":"Distracted Driving"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18px;\"><strong>Distracted Driving Awareness<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"editor-text\">Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on our roads. Cell phone use \u2014 specifically, texting, talking, and social media use \u2014 has become the most common distraction. Other risky actions include adjusting the radio or GPS, applying makeup, eating and drinking. By driving distracted, you\u2019re robbing yourself of seconds that you may need to avoid a close call or deadly crash.<\/p>\n<h2>Drive Responsibly<\/h2>\n<p class=\"editor-text\">In 2021,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/node\/2091\">distracted driving<\/a>\u00a0killed 3,522 people. \u00a0April, which is national Distracted Driving Awareness Month, is a good time to regroup and take responsibility for the choices we make when we\u2019re on the road. Follow these safety tips for a safe ride:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Need to send a text? Pull over and park your car in a safe location.<\/li>\n<li>Designate your passenger as your \u201cdesignated texter\u201d to respond to calls or messages.<\/li>\n<li>Do not scroll through apps while driving. Struggling not to text and drive? Put the cell phone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of the vehicle until you arrive at your destination.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Consequences<\/h2>\n<p class=\"editor-text\">During a portion of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, from April 4 through 8, you may see increased law enforcement on the roadways as part of the national paid media campaign\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/node\/39921\"><em>Put the Phone Away or Pay<\/em><\/a>. This campaign reminds drivers of the deadly dangers and the legal consequences \u2013 including fines \u2013 of texting behind the wheel.<\/p>\n<h2>Take Action<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Remind your friends and family: If you\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat, it\u2019s the only thing you should be doing. No distractions.<\/li>\n<li>If your driver is texting or otherwise distracted, tell them to stop and focus on the road.<\/li>\n<li>Ask your friends to join you in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/risky-driving\/distracted-driving#take-pledge\">pledging not to drive distracted<\/a>. You could save a life. Share your pledge on social media to spread the word \u2014 #JustDrive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 id=\"pid\"><em><strong>Put It Down Campaign<\/strong><\/em><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1646\" style=\"color: var(--wpex-text-2); font-size: 16px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/put-it-down-small.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"141\" height=\"93\" \/><\/h4>\n<p>Driver distraction is a rapidly growing problem as the use of handheld communication devices and other technologies continue to advance. The Florida Department of Transportation is committed to eliminating crashes that are attributable to distracted driving and has developed the\u00a0<em>Put it Down<\/em>\u00a0campaign which focuses on helping drivers:<\/p>\n<table class=\"table k-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 561.333px;\">\n<ul>\n<li>To understand the problem of distracted driving<\/li>\n<li>To recognize the risks and consequences associated with distracted driving<\/li>\n<li>To implement specific steps to help eliminate distracted driving within their families, schools, businesses or organizations<\/li>\n<li>To keep themselves, other drivers, passengers and pedestrians safe on our roadways<\/li>\n<li>To understand the distracted driving law in Florida<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1648\" src=\"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/Distracted-Driving-Banner-300x117.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"431\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/Distracted-Driving-Banner-300x117.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/Distracted-Driving-Banner-1024x399.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/Distracted-Driving-Banner-768x300.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/Distracted-Driving-Banner-1536x599.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-content\/uploads\/Distracted-Driving-Banner.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 431px) 100vw, 431px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Distracted Driving Awareness Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on our roads. Cell phone use \u2014 specifically, texting, talking, and social media use \u2014 has become the most common distraction. Other risky actions include adjusting the radio or GPS, applying makeup, eating and drinking. By driving distracted, you\u2019re robbing yourself of seconds that you&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_series":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2358,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286\/revisions\/2358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286"},{"taxonomy":"post_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.swflroads.com\/d1safety\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_series?post=286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}