How to Avoid Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is one of the reasons that traffic accidents occur, so here are a few tips on how you can reduce and avoid distracted driving on the road. 

As human beings, we believe that we are excellent drivers, but this is not always the case.  We have delayed reaction times, and have short attention spans.  To make it worse, we believe we are good at multitasking. Example? Texting, talking on the phone, snapchatting, changing the radio station, and talking to your passengers. Distracted drivers such as these account for 10 percent of all fatal crashes and 18 percent of all injury crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Avoid becoming another statistic by following these few tips on how to avoid distracted driving.

Tips on how to avoid distracted driving:

  • Take a Message – If you hear your phone ring, let your voice mail pick it up. It requires literally zero effort on your part and you can always call them back when you arrive to your destination.
  • Pull Over – If you absolutely must talk or text while you are driving, make sure to pull off the road to a safe location. It keep you and other drivers safe.
  • Use Voice-Activated Dialing – If you cannot get off the road and have to take the call immediately, you can always use your voice-activated system to take or dial a call.
  • Don’t Be a Pig – Use your human intelligence to know that eating can be just as dangerous as texting, and avoid chomping down on your breakfast while you drive to work–or any meal anywhere.

When it comes to financially protecting your car, having the right team of insurance experts behind you can give you the peace of mind that you deserve. Contact the experts at Stromsoe Insurance Agency for all of your personal insurance coverage needs. We will work with you to ensure you have the right amount of protection, all at the right price to fit your budget.

How To: Teach Your Teen to Drive

If you’ve got a teen driver on your hands, here’s what you need to know.

Like all children, teens desire independence. The thought of being able to drive themselves is an exciting thing that all teens want. But in reality, car accidents are the leading cause of death for this age group and safety must be a huge part of what they learn before getting behind the wheel.

As a parent, you have the power to get through to them. They may have daydreams of cruising to the beach with their friend without a care in the world, but you must bring them back to earth about what the realities of driving.

Here are some little things you can do to improve the chance that they stay safe and learn how to be responsible drivers:

  • “Passenger seat” supervision is a great way to give your teen support and also guide them while they are actually driving.
  • Build confidence with small trips of 5-10 miles in areas that are familiar.
  • Make sure they are driving a safe car with good brakes, good steering, and airbags.
  • Check that your criticism is gentle and constructive. Creating a stressful environment for your teen to learn driving can be just as damaging as no help at all since it teaches your teen to associate driving with being on edge.
  • Make sure your teen knows what to do if there is an accident.
  • The average teen has 3 accidents between the ages of 16-20. Make a contract with them to lessen these odds. Your contract should include:
    • A stipulation that good grades earn driving privileges.
    • No texting or phone while driving
    • Zero tolerance regarding alcohol/drugs and driving
    • Observing curfew
    • Observing rules about passengers
    • Obeying the traffic laws. Traffic tickets should have major consequences like suspension of privileges.

Your teen’s safety is in your hands. If you take the time to show them how important their well being is to you, they will eventually listen.

Is your teen covered out on the road? For all of your auto insurance needs in California, including coverage for your teen driver, contact Stromsoe Insurance Agency.