SACRAMENTO, Calif. — April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to the NHTSA, more than 3,300 people were killed in 2022 due to distracted driving.
Tim Weisberg from the California Office of Traffic Safety says distracted driving goes beyond your phone - even the touchscreen or buttons in your car can be distractions. He says deep conversations, eating in the car or even pets can be distractions.
"It's these little actions like grabbing an object on the floor, taking off your jacket. That isn't touching your phone, but is still a couple seconds and when you're traveling at a higher speed you just don't realize the distance that you have crossed basically blindfolded," said Weisberg.
He wants people to commit to not driving distracted. He says this means putting the phone away, silencing it and focusing on driving. Weisberg says to pull over to a safe spot if you need to send a text or make an important call.
According to Weisberg, sending a text or reading something on your phone takes about 4.8 seconds.
Isaac Gonzalez is the founder of Slow Down Sacramento. He says to pay extra attention to the road and everyone using it. Make sure you can see them and they can see you.
"As the weather gets better, it's warmer, more people are outside. That means we have more vulnerable road users sharing the road with us. We have our cyclists, our walkers, our pedestrians, those in motorized wheelchairs. They’re outside, they're using the road and they all deserve to get home from their trips safely," said Gonzalez.
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