The Environmental Health and Safety Office is here to assist faculty, staff and students maintain a safe place to work and study. We are a service organization that provides expertise and advice for compliance with federal, state and local safety and health regulations as well as current professional practices and guidelines. Our goal is to prevent injury, illnesses and environmental damage through the recognition, evaluation and control of potential hazards arising from university activities.
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Distracted Driving
Utah State University is committed to creating a safe environment and a culture of safety. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month (National Safety Council and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).
Some Statistics About Smartphone Use and Driving
- The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year.
- In the U.S. in 2018, over 2,800 people were killed, and an estimated 400,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. (CDC)
- Nearly 330,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving.
- 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
- Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk.
- Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field.
- Texting while driving causes a 400% increase in time spent with eyes off the road.
- Cache, Utah, Weber, and Grand Counties had the highest percentage of crashes that involved a distracted driver. (Utah Department of Public Safety 2016)
What You Can Do
- Put your phone down while driving.
- Turn off notifications or put your phone on airplane mode to eliminate distractions and urges to answer a text, call, or email alert.
- If you need to call or text while driving, pull over to a safety area to do so.
- When traveling as a passenger, urge and river who is using their phone to put it down.
- If there is another driver on the road who is using a phone while driving, maintain a safe distance from them and be a defensive driver. Always leave yourself an out in case of any type of accident occurs around your vehicle.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE ROAD AND DRIVE SAFE AGGIES!