Everyone who has been behind a wheel knows that distracted driving is a reality that plagues our roads today. From texting to fiddling with radio settings to eating while driving, distracted drivers present an ongoing hazard.

At distraction.gov, a website dedicated to encouraging best practices for safe, distraction-free driving, you’ll find some eye-opening statistics:

• In 2014, 3,179 people were killed, and 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
• Ten percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes. This age group has the largest proportion of driv­ers who were distracted at the time of the crashes. (NHTSA)
• Drivers in their 20s represent 23% of drivers in all fatal crashes, but make up 27% of total distracted drivers and 38% of dis­tracted drivers who were using cell phones in fatal crashes. (NHTSA)
• A 2015 Erie Insurance distracted driving survey reported that drivers do all sorts of dangerous things behind the wheel including brushing teeth and changing clothes. The survey also found that one-third of drivers admitted to texting while driving, and three-quarters said they’ve seen others do it. (ERIE INSURANCE)
• Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that's enough time to cover the length of a football field. (2009, VTTI)
• Smartphone ownership is growing. In 2011, 52 percent of drivers reported owning a smartphone, and by 2014 that number had grown to 80 percent. The greatest increases in smartphone ownership are among adults age 40 and older. (STATE FARM)

Safety Pros: If you have workers with driving responsibilities, Summit Training Source can help. Summit’s interactive, multimedia driver safety programs help keep your drivers safe and your organization in compliance with DOT driving regulations and enforcement programs. Courses include:

• Forever and Ever: The Lasting Consequences of Distracted Driving
• Road Rage
• Decision Driving Modules 1-6
• Street Smart 2-Part Series
  -Street Smart: Driving Skills
  -Street Smart: Supervising Drivers
• Driven Driver

Distracted Driving Awareness Month Special: From April 3-28, 2017, all of the Summit DVDs listed above are 50% off list price. Click the button at the end of this blog post to select your courses and use promo code DRIVE17 at checkout.*

*Terms & Conditions:
Offer valid April 3 – April 28, 2017. 50% discount available only for Summit driver safety courses listed above. Shipping and taxes not included. Not available for previous purchases and cannot be combined with other offers.