Dear Appreciated Friend,
Traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers continue to increase across the country. In 2003, traffic fatalities in the US hit a high of 42,850, 1.7 per cent higher than in the previous year. 17,970 of these deaths were related to alcohol, 24,880 were related to just unsafe driving habits that could be easily changed.
We at Tony’s Body Shop are committed to bringing you the latest information for your safety and well-being. This issue of our newsletter gives you some insights to help you strengthen your “good” driving habits.
Reports state that distracted drivers cause thousands of crashes each year. In California last year, motorists killed 6,516 and injured 413,913 people by using cell phones and in-car electronics such as laptops, fruit, and even TVs while driving.
A bill passed by the California state Senate would subject drivers who talk on the phone, put on makeup, drink, eat, smoke, interact with pets or kids, read, write, tune the radio or program hand-held devices to fines of $35 for the first offense and $150 for the second.
In addition, insurance rates are soaring in California. These rates reflect the bad driving habits and accidents of many who live in or commute to the urban areas. Are you a safe driver or are you contributing to these increased figures?
- Do you stop at stop signs or slow down and roll right through? 87% of the bad drivers in the survey said they should be able to go through stop signs as long as no one is in view.
- Do you talk on your cell phone or pull over and stop to talk? 77% of the bad drivers interviewed in this same survey said they pull over only occasionally.
- Do you hold your coffee and muffin in one hand, and eat and drive with the free hand? 60% of the study of bad drivers said they often eat while driving. Some even said that when they spill drinks they try to clean up the spill while keeping one hand on the wheel.
- When you have passengers in the car, do you turn around and talk to them while driving? Most of the people in the survey said they are easily distracted and turn their heads and stop paying attention to the road, especially with small children in the car.
- Do you experience road rage, swear, glare, use inappropriate hand movements when irritated by others’ driving habits? Half of the bad drivers in the survey admitted to making rude, obscene gestures, or yelling at other drivers.
- Do you pay more attention to how you are driving when you think there are police in the area? Nearly everyone in the survey said they drive more carefully if police are around; most said they check their rear view mirrors to look for the “black and white”.
- When you’re trying to find a parking space, do you become so focused on your search that you lose sight of pedestrians or other vehicles around you? More than half of the bad drivers said they often become so focused on finding that space that they frequently get into accidents – either on the street or in parking lots.
- Does your hyperactive lifestyle – work hard, play hard – result in feeling sleepy behind the wheel? Over 50% in the study said they had fallen asleep behind the wheel; their lifestyle left them sleep deprived.
If your answers are similar to those reported by these bad drivers, you may tend to be a more aggressive driver than average, and endanger others and yourself. You may also be paying more in car insurance premiums, as well as helping to hike the rates that good drivers are paying.
Confident, outgoing, arrogant and a menace are the other characteristics of the bad drivers of this survey. These drivers reported that they lead high-stressed, active lives without enough time to accomplish everything that they want to in a day. They considered themselves outgoing and self-confident in the way they behaved.
Are you one of them? Or does this survey help you pay better attention to your own “good” driving habits?
