Distracted driving month raises awareness in Lee

By this time in our lives, most of us know of someone who has suffered because of careless driving, whether they were the one driving or an unfortunate passenger or victim.

That is why June 29, the Lee County Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution recognizing July as "Distracted Driving Awareness Month."
The Lee County Sherriff's Office has teamed up with Lee Tran and the "Stay Alive… Just Drive (SAJD)" program to bring awareness to the tragedies that occur because of careless driving.

Three busses now display the SAJD logo along with slogans including: "Hang Up & Drive," "Avoid Distracted Driving" and "Texting & Driving Reduces Surviving."

SAJD is a nationally recognized crash prevention, education and awareness pro¬gram that began in Lee County in 2006. The program was created by Jay Anderson, who serves as the executive director, in response to a distracted driver hitting Anderson's wife.
Anderson's wife was out walking one morning when she was struck by a young man who ran off the road while on his cell phone.

She was left in a ditch with multiple fractures while the driver fled the scene of the crime, never to be found.

Although the man wasn't caught, he did leave a lasting impression of the carelessness of distracted drivers and the consequences that come with it.

The SAJD program tries to reach drivers everyday with its message of "Safe Driving is not Expensive, It's Priceless."

In a poll of 40 FGCU students, 22 admitted to texting while driving while 32 said that they talk on the phone while driving.

According to a 2009 Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study, texting while driving is 20 times more dangerous than not using a phone while driving. Not watching the road for 4.5 to 6 seconds equates to traveling the length of a football field at 55 mph without looking at the road.

Dialing the phone is 2.8 times more dangerous, and talking or listening to someone on the phone is 1.3 times more dangerous than driving while not distracted.

"These drivers often display erratic behavior such as failing to maintain their lane, failing to maintain their speed, abrupt lane changes without signaling, and failing to stop at stop signs and red traffic signals," said Anderson.

There are many variables when driv-ing, and even if we drive the biggest metal vehicle on the street, we are all still susceptible to mistakes that not only harm us, but possibly others as well.

"Driving is the most dangerous activity we participate in on a daily basis," said Anderson.