Prevent mobile phone-related auto accidents

Because they enable people to make calls or send messages from just about anywhere, mobile phones can be great conveniences. But they also can be annoying when conversations, texting or perusing the Internet gets in the way of proper etiquette.

Talking loudly in public areas, texting when in the middle of a face-to-face conversation or sharing personal details in public are not just bad manners, but such behaviors also can be unsafe. Poor mobile phone etiquette is cause for some concern, but there is great cause for concern for people who find themselves routinely distracted by their mobile phones while driving or operating equipment. Using a mobile phone when driving greatly increases a person’s risk of getting into an accident. Distracted driving has become something of an epidemic, as the following figures, courtesy of Don’t Text and Drive, illustrate.

—Texting or doing something on your phone can distract drivers for as long as five seconds. If you’re traveling at 55 miles per hour, that is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field without looking at the road.

—Texting while driving makes you 23 times more likely than normal to be in a car crash.

—Among drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 involved in car accidents in the United States, 13 percent admitted to texting or talking on their phones at the times of their crashes.

—The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to around 1.6 million crashes each year, with nearly 330,000 injuries occurring from such accidents.

—Cell phone usage while driving can delay a driver’s reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit.

Although the majority of drivers support a ban on texting while driving, many still continue to do it. The single best way to prevent driving accidents and fatalities related to mobile phone usage is to put the phone down. Consider the following suggestions to help you avoid looking at your phone while behind the wheel.

—Keep your phone in a purse or in a bag in the back seat so that it is not readily accessible while driving. Many cars now have Bluetoothenabled hands-free dialing and calling. So you do not need to have the phone nearby to answer a call.

—Leave your phone at home on short trips and give yourself a break from screen time.

—Set up an automatically generated text message that indicates you are driving. Other apps will read out texts to you or block incoming calls or texts altogether.

—Turn off notifications so you will not be tempted to look at your phone each time there’s a new popup or sound.

Remember, any texts can wait until you pull over, park or arrive at your destination.

Texting while among friends may be rude, but texting while driving can be deadly.