Drivers urged to put the phone down
![Drivers urged to put the phone down](https://smokymountainnews.s3.amazonaws.com/media/k2/items/cache/e68aa0145b39dea089aaa7a116edb1a5_XL.jpg?javer=2409070728)
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is calling on motorists to focus solely on the road and do all they can to help prevent accidents during Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which runs throughout April across the United States.
“Driving any vehicle requires serious concentration, whether you’re a novice or highly experienced on the road,” Causey said. “Sending or reading a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that’s akin to driving the length of an entire football field — blindfolded.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving killed 3,308 people in 2022, while 289,310 were injured. Commissioner Causey joins the NHTSA, other insurance commissioners and safety advocates across the nation in raising the awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.