A previous post on this blog talked about how a recent report found that, when people engage in distracted driving, they are typically communicating with a spouse, significant other or other person with one’s circle of family and close friends.
This same report also highlighted another phenomenon that drivers in Rome and throughout Georgia should be aware, and that is that there seems to be a pronounced distracted driving season, a period of the year in which distracted driving is more common than it is at other times of the year.
During the summer months, which includes the rest of this August, the frequency of distracted driving increases about 10 percent over the rest of the year. Moreover, in these summer months, around 40 percent of drivers will be operating their vehicles while distracted for 15 minutes out of every hour they drive.
While these numbers only averages, it is frankly a bit scary to imagine a motorist not paying full attention to the road for several minutes when only a second of inattentiveness can cause motor vehicle accidents.
Some suggest that the reasons distracted driving is a particular problem in the summer relates to a shift in daily life during the summer months. During this time, younger, less experienced drivers aren’t just traveling to and from school and have additional time, and perhaps an additional need, to travel on Georgia’s highways and other roads.
Furthermore, people of all ages like to go to destinations to which they would not normally travel in the months when school is in session. Going to an unfamiliar location might mean a driver is tempted to rely too heavily on their phone for directions and other information.