Distracted Driving

State lawmakers approved stricter distracted driving definitions and penalties for all Washington State drivers. No more loopholes for social media usage, selfies, snapchats, or playing Asphalt-Extreme while behind the wheel. 

Even though it's a major culprit behind the epidemic of distracted driving, technology has found a way to try to help people use their phones responsibly while driving. Here are a few options to consider.

 Checking your phone or taking a call while driving isn’t just annoying — it can cause an accident, and even kill or seriously injure another person.

These apps incentivize safe driving and/or block drivers from using their phones while the car is in motion. This chart displays the different features(link is external) an assortment of apps have. 

Numerous studies have come out with shocking data that I share with Bellingham drivers in hopes that it can change this habit and make our roads safer.

Most Americans understand by now that it’s dangerous to get into a car with a drunk driver. Fewer understand the dangers of distracted driving.

Studies have even shown that 60% of drivers today text while they drive, and in the United States, 7 out of every 10 drivers text, snap and call while they are on the wheels.

It is bad enough that the federal government estimates that 16% of all crash-related deaths in the U.S. are caused by some form of distraction. Furthermore, research from the AAA Foundation suggests that distraction is an even bigger issue than the numbers might indicate.

Some drivers think that they're somehow safer drivers than others. They make up rules that make them feel like they're following the law, i.e. only texting at stoplights (which is illegal by Washington's new distracted driving law, by the way.)