CDOT Runs New Campaign—Killer Habit

By Mike McDivitt
Published: August 8, 2016
Auto Accident

At the end of July, CDOT announced that it is launching a new campaign as part of Drop the Distraction to combat the deadly activity of distracted driving. According to CDOT, last year, Colorado had 15,574 crashes and 68 traffic fatalities involving distracted drivers. This new campaign highlights what distracted driving really is—a Killer Habit.

Killer Habit Video

The campaign is focused on a new video CDOT has put together. In it you see the deadly consequences of driving distracted and using your cell phone. It’s a jarring reminder of what taking our eyes off the road can cost us.

CDOT plans to share this video with its traffic safety partners, and will also air it on out-of-home movie theater ads, online pre-roll video, and Pandora audio, video and digital ads.

Recent Statistics

According to a recent survey from The Center for Internet and Technology, 74% of drivers have done some kind of text-related activity behind the wheel, including reading texts while driving (43%), sending texts while driving (27%), reading texts at a red light (66%), sending texts at a red light (48%), glancing at phone while driving to check for messages (35%), and glancing at phone to check for messages at a stoplight (49%). The survey also gave some reasoning for texting while driving, including:

Wanting to stay connected to family, friends, work, etc.;
Being connected to my phone is a habit, even in the car;
Thinking one is able to do several things at once, even while driving;
Afraid of missing something important;
Thinking that driving performance is not impacted by texting;
Feeling that others expect me to answer right away.

However, none of these reasons are enough to put your life and others at risk.

Additionally, according to a recent article from CNN, 70% of teens have admitted to using apps while driving. When these teens were asked to rank what activity was more dangerous, 29% said driving under the influence, 25% said sending a text, but only 6% said actively looking or posting to social media is the most distracting or dangerous behavior. In another survey, from the National Safety Council, 74% of drivers said they used Facebook while driving, and 37% said they use Twitter, followed by 35% using YouTube and 33% using Instagram while behind the wheel. Using social media or apps on our phones is just as dangerous as texting.

On the up side, many people who have downloaded an app to stop texting while driving have found them to be very helpful. Useful and helpful apps to stop this behavior include:

Other apps that promote safe driving include: