Drive Focused – Drive Smart – Get Home Safely

Monday

Is it Worth it?

Answering a phone call, checking your look in the mirror, picking up something that dropped on the floor—is it worth it? A recent federal government study concluded that distracted drivers are the leading cause of crashes in the U.S., accounting for 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near crashes. Yet motor vehicle crashes that are the result of inattentive behavior are predictable, preventable and within the driver’s control. They are not accidents. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Look at the Big Picture.

Making or receiving a phone call while driving makes you four times more likely to be involved in a traffic crash, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Take a moment to focus on those who are counting on you to get home safely every day before you make a decision to divert your full attention from the road. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Buckle Up Every Time, Every Trip

Buckle up, every time, every trip, no matter the distance. It’s the most important thing you can do to protect yourself from the distracted drivers sharing the roads with you and to help ensure you get home to the people in your life who are waiting for you to get there. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Tuesday

Multitasking a Myth?

The ability to multitask—do several things at the same time— is a myth, according to researchers. People don’t do lots of things simultaneously. Instead, we switch our attention from one task to another extremely quickly. This means we’re not driving AND eating, talking on the phone, fixing our hair. We’re driving OR eating, OR talking on the phone, OR fixing our hair. What if you’re doing something besides driving (when you’re driving) at the moment someone or something darts out in front of you? DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Safe Driving is Good Work

When you’re behind the wheel, you must coordinate the actions of your hands, feet, eyes, ears, and body movements. At the same time, you must decide how to react to what you see, hear, and feel in relation to other cars and drivers, traffic signs and signals, conditions of the highway, and the performance of your car. These decisions are typically made close to other vehicles and must be converted quickly into action—brake, steer, accelerate, or a combination of all—to maintain or adjust your position in traffic. Do you still think it’s a good idea to add non-driving tasks to this list? DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Wednesday

Let it Begin with Me

We all think we can successfully multitask while driving, it's everyone else’s multi-tasking that has us worried. So how about this— Make it a practice when you make a call to someone's cell phone to ask if they are driving. If the response is "yes," take it upon yourself to call them back later or ask them to return your call when they have reached their destination. Talking on a cell phone while driving makes you four times more likely to be involved in a crash. Don't be a contributor to this statistic. Do your part to help everyone to DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Carnegie Mellon Safe Driving Wisdom

A Carnegie Mellon researcher shares these common misconceptions over time, disproved by science: Smoking cigarettes won’t affect my health; I can drink while I'm pregnant, and now‚ I'm not doing anything but driving, I might as well talk on the phone. Wrong, wrong, and wrong again! DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

You Decide

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drivers make an average of 20 major decisions during every mile of driving. Make one of those the decision to let your calls roll to voicemail if you're driving. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Thursday

No Matter the Color, Your Car Can be Green

Even if your current car, truck, or SUV is blue, red or black, you can still drive “green.” By using a combination of special driving tips and proper maintenance, you can improve the fuel efficiency of your current vehicle by an average of 15%. For a full list of ecofriendly driving tips, visit www.ecodrivingusa. com. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Breathe Easier by Doing Your Part

There’s more than one kind of traffic congestion. According to a recent poll, two-thirds of Americans are concerned about the effect of auto exhaust on their health, but only 4 in 10 concede that their own driving is much to blame. Simple changes to driving habits can increase your fuel economy and reduce annual CO2 emissions according to www.ecodrivingusa.com (will open in a new window). Give it a try; You’ll breathe easier knowing you’re doing your part to reduce your carbon footprint. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

Friday

Shed Weight Without Dieting

Are you carrying around extra weight? (We’re talking about your car, not your waistline.) Every pound of extra weight requires an auto to work harder. You can shed 25 pounds effortlessly just by taking the golf clubs out of your trunk. Clear the junk from your trunk—lighten your load—your car will thank you with better fuel economy. This week and every week: DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.

You CAN Make a Difference

According to EcoDrivingUSA.com, if just half of all drivers nationwide practiced moderate levels of green driving, annual CO2 emissions could be reduced by about 100 million tons, or the equivalent of heating and powering 8.5 million households. DRIVE FOCUSED. DRIVE SMART. GET HOME SAFELY.