There are few things more important than enriching, educating and protecting your community – and Crandall & Pera Law’s very own Steve Crandall proved it just last week, when he gave a presentation to 650 members of the student body at Chagrin Falls High School. As part of the campaign to end distracted driving for good, Attorney Crandall represented the End Distracted Driving organization (EndDD.org). The CFHS students took part in this interactive presentation by analyzing and discussing their own feelings about and experiences with distracted driving. They were then asked to have that same discussion with their parents and guardians.
EndDD.org also allows drivers to take the pledge to drive without distractions. The school offered a prize raffle for any students who took the pledge and entered their names.
April is Distracted Driving Month
Attorney Crandall’s EndDD.org presentation could not have been timelier, as April is Distracted Driving Month. According to the organization:
- Car crashes are the #1 cause of unintentional fatalities in America, killing about 100 people per day
- Driver error is to blame for about 90% of all car crashes
- At any given time, 9% of the driving population is using a cell phone, which leads to approximately 26% of all car crashes
- “The activity in the area of the brain that processes moving images decreases by up to 1/3 when listening [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][or] talking on a phone,” leading drivers to miss about half – 50% – of what is moving outside of the car, even when they are looking out the windshield
Part of the problem could be that different states have different laws – and sometimes the laws against distracted driving vary from town to town. In Ohio, there is a “local option” when it comes to hand-held cell phone bans, meaning that there is no one law governing the entire state. However, drivers younger than 18 may not use cell phones while driving at all, and no drivers are allowed to text while they drive. Police will enforce the bans on texting as well as the ban on younger drivers using a phone in the car. In Kentucky, drivers under the age of 18 and school bus drivers are prohibited from using a cell phone while driving, and no one is allowed to text; the cops uphold and enforce these laws as well.
At Crandall & Pera Law, we believe that any steps we can take to eliminate unnecessary injuries and deaths from our communities are the right steps. We encourage you to visit EndDD.org to learn the facts, and to take the pledge yourselves. If you have questions about distracted driving laws in Ohio or Kentucky, or if you want to learn more about becoming a presenter, we invite you to reach out to us today. Together we can save lives.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]