Community Corner
Letter to the Editor: Distracted Driving By the Numbers
Girl Scouts Troop #41059, a group of fifth graders at Skokie School in Winnetka, has developed a life-saving campaign called JUST DRIVE, which is designed to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.
Dear Readers,
I am a Junior Girl Scout in Troop #41059, and we are telling you to JUST DRIVE. Did you know:
- 3,092 LIVES were lost last year because a driver was distracted?
- According to experts, a distraction of only 2 SECONDS greatly increases the risk of a crash?
- 5 SECONDS is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting? When traveling at 55 mph, that’s enough, time to cover the length of a football field.
- A person using a cell phone while driving is 4 TIMES more likely to have a crash?
- Eating, smoking, and attending to music or GPS devices while driving can be JUST AS DANGEROUS as texting, emailing, or talking on a cell phone.
I myself have experienced a car accident caused by distracted driving. Driving on the highway with my mom and my friend, a car came along and the driver was talking on his phone. The driver ran straight into the back of our car, and our back bumper came off! Fortunately no one was hurt but we were lucky, it could have been a lot worse. So I am asking everyone to JUST DRIVE. No cellphones. No distractions.
Find out what's happening in Winnetka-Glencoewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Kelly Bertram
Junior Girl Scout
Troop #41059
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here
