#JustDrive: Join April 30 Tweet-Up To Stop Distracted Driving

Information submitted from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

In 2013, distracted driving took the lives of 3,154 people. That’s over 3,000 people who lost their lives because someone chose to text while driving, or do their makeup behind the wheel, or focus on food instead of the road. Distracted driving takes lives every day because of a choice – a choice to do something other than drive.

At any given moment in the United States, there are 660,000 people using cell phones or manipulating other electronic devices while driving, a number that has held steady since 2010. That includes dialing phone numbers, using a GPS and, of course, texting while driving. The average time your focus is off the road for a text is five seconds. In that time, at 55 mph, you travel the length of a football field. That’s a very long distance to not pay attention to the road.

Help us raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. On April 30, 2015, we’ll be hosting a Tweet-up on distracted driving.

Starting at 8 a.m. EDT and running all day, we’ll be sharing facts on the dangers of distracted driving, as well as tips and resources on how to make the roads safer. Please join us and invite your followers to join us for an all-day social media blitz using the hash tag #justdrive.

Share this message with friends, family, or fellow bloggers. You may not text and drive, but there may be people you know who say it’s okay, they’re good at it, it only takes a few seconds, and what’s the big deal? (If you know someone who justifies their texting and driving, you should share our video with them to show them what a big deal it can be.)

You could be the reason someone puts the phone down while they drive, for good. That means safer roads and more lives safe from distracted driving. One person can make a difference, and it all starts with keeping your focus on the road and your hands on the wheel.

Join us on Twitter all day on April 30, 2015, and tell your followers: don’t text, #justdrive.

Get more facts and outreach messaging at distraction.gov.

--Shutterstock image

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