According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, 3,328 people nationwide were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, and 421,000 were injured.
So, how do you talk to your kids about the serious dangers of distracted driving? Distraction.gov provides the following tips:
- Talk about the consequences of driving distracted with your teen.
- Establish safety rules, including forbidding talking or texting on the phone while driving.
- Have everyone in the family sign a pledge form to drive without distraction.
- Become familiar with your state’s laws about distracted driving, and educate your teen about the legal consequences of distracted driving. We’ve provided New York’s laws below for reference.
New York prohibits all drivers from using portable electronic devices.
Illegal activity includes holding a portable electronic device and:
- Talking on a handheld mobile telephone
- Composing, sending, reading, accessing, browsing, transmitting, saving, or retrieving electronic data such as e-mail, text messages, or webpages
- Viewing, taking, or transmitting images
- Playing games
