CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia truck drivers are encouraging motorists to be more careful on roads as part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
The West Virginia Trucking Association is working with the American Trucking Association and their Share the Road highway safety program to warn motorists of the dangers of distracted driving.
“People just need to slow down, pay attention and focus on their driving,” said Jan Vineyard, president of the WVTA. “They need to be worried about getting to their destination safely.”
Vineyard said texting is the leading habit of distracted driving that they’re hoping to change.
“Can a text wait five minutes? If it can’t, then find some place to pull off the road and to make that text,” she said.
Truck drivers have seen many types of distracted driving behaviors while on the road, Vineyard said.
“We look down and see what the public is doing. We see ladies putting on makeup, we see kids distracting the driver, we see people eating, texting, changing the radio,” she said.
Distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents and deaths through the United States, Vineyard said.
The WVTA is reminding drivers to put their phones away by storing it somewhere that is not visible, but easily accessible, to eliminate texting while driving, to be prepared to drive by getting plenty of sleep, to secure every item in your vehicle and to set a good example for young drivers.
Even with these safety tips in mind, accidents do happen. If you’ve been involved in accident, it is highly recommended that you hire an accident attorney to help fight your case.
Share the Road is a highway safety outreach program of the American Trucking Associations that educates all drivers about sharing the road safely with large trucks.
The WVTA is a statewide, non-profit, association of trucking companies, private fleet operators, industry suppliers and others interested in the well-being of motor transportation at the local, state and national level.