Always Drive As If You Had Children In The Car
In 2021, 65 United States emergency responders were struck and killed while helping others during roadway incidents; so far in 2022, 10 emergency responders have already been struck and killed (as of February 8, 20220.
Emergency responders are struck and killed by motorists that fail to slow down and move over. But another threat to them is what they call “D drivers”: drivers that are drunk, drugged, drowsy, distracted all of which lead to them being dangerous.
In March 2021, the National Safety Council, EndDD.org (End Distracted Driving) and the Cumberland Volunteer Fireman’s Association/Emergency Responder Safety Institute (Respondersafety.com) conducted a Distracted Parents Survey:
The survey revealed that nearly all parents will alter their behaviors to reduce distracted driving when children are present in the car. Specifically, there is a 44% decrease in manipulating GPS devices and a 34% decrease in using digital music devices or apps; and a 21% decrease in glancing at or reading notifications. Parents reported that the largest deterrents to phone usage while driving included having a child (or children) tell them they felt scared when parents used the phone while driving. You can view the survey results here. Bottom line: it’s great to be cautious with children in the car, but you should be cautious all the time.
