ExploreR3 2013 | Page 36

IT'S A SCARY FACT, IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, 415 YOUNG VEHICLE OCCUPANTS (15-19) DIED IN MISSOURI TRAFFIC CRASHES, AND 80 PERCENT WERE NOT BUCKLED. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY TAKING A PLEDGE TO BUCKLE UP AND ARRIVE ALIVE. 5 SECONDS IS TOO LONG, YET 3 SECONDS IS ENOUGH Before you continue reading, stop, close your eyes, and count to ?ve...1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now, imagine you're driving 55 mph down the highway...do you want to do the same experiment at that time? Unfortunately, too many people are texting and driving, and yes...it takes your eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds..at 55 mph, that's driving the length of a football ?eld. Distracted driving is the leading cause of traf?c crashes in Missouri and nationwide. Each day, distracted driving causes nearly 8,000 crashes nationwide. In 2010, more than 3000 people in the U.S. were killed during a crash that involved distracted drivers. Texting can make a driver 23 times more likely to crash. Recent research showed dialing a phone increases the risk of a crash by as much as six times. On Aug. 28, 2009, a Missouri law went into effect prohibiting drivers 21 years of age or younger from sending, reading, or writing an electronic message while driving. This is just one unsafe driving behavior. Taking your eyes off the road for 5 seconds is too long, yet if you are involved in a traf?c crash, a different 3 seconds could actually save your life. According to a 2012 survey, only 66 percent of Missouri teens buckle up, compared with 79 percent of Missourians, and well below the national average of 84 percent. In the past three years 354 teens died in Missouri traf?c crashes, 75 percent of whom were not buckled up. Under Missouri’s Graduated License Law, permit drivers and all passengers must wear safety belts. SAFETY TIPS Don't ever text, go online or read your e-mail while driving. Ask a passenger to make the call for you if you need to. Turn your phone off or switch to silent before you get in the car. Review maps and directions before you start to drive. If you need help when you are driving, ask a passenger or pull over to a safe location. Set up a special message to tell callers you are driving or sign up for a service who offers this. Pull over to a safe location if you need to make or receive a call. Pets can be a distraction in the car. Make sure you secure your pets properly before you start to drive. Kids can also be a distraction. Pull over if you need to address a problem with your children. Wearing a safety belt is your single best defense in a traf?c crash. Buckle up to Arrive Alive. Focus on driving and avoid any activity that takes your mind and eyes off the road and your hands off the steering wheel. Many drivers take the attitude that ‘it will never happen to me,’ especially teens, but fatal crashes happen every day to all types of people. The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety will continue to educate and encourage teens on the importance of buckling up through statewide seat belt programs, such as the Battle of the Belt campaign program and Team Spirit. We’re asking teens to help save the lives of their friends by reminding them to buckle up every time they get in a car and to not text and drive. The Northeast Coalition for Roadway Safety