Did you know that one in every five crashes occurs in a parking lot or parking garage? According to a National Safety Council public opinion poll, 66% of drivers may be pulling into or out of parking spaces while distracted.
Since 1998, almost 900 children have died of pediatric vehicular heatstroke because they were left or became trapped in a hot vehicle, according to noheatstroke.org.
Why does this matter to you? Nearly one-quarter of these incidents occur at a place of work. Let’s pull together to eliminate these preventable tragedies.
No one thinks a hot car incident ever will happen to them, but that’s like saying you’ll never be tired or distracted. New technologies in vehicles can lead to more distraction. The catch is, many believe they are making safe choices by using hands-free devices while behind the wheel, and they use voice commands to make calls on and off the job. But research shows these are convenience features, not safety features.
Your brain can remain directed toward these activities long after you’ve completed them, resulting in cognitive distraction. All it takes is a moment of distraction to miss a stop sign or forget that you’re transporting your child because your partner needed to change your morning drop-off routine. A perfect safety record requires focus. In our chase to achieve perfection, we can raise the bar by addressing all types of distraction.
