‘It is very much an everybody problem’: AAA on distracted driving

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Senior Manager of Public Affairs for AAA Northeast Diana Gugliotta said distracted driving is not a generational issue, but something everyone needs to be aware of.

“It is very much an everybody problem,” she said.

Watch the full video with AAA Northeast’s Diana Gugliotta in the video above.

The ages most often found to be distracted drivers are between the ages of 16 to 44, according to Gugliotta.

The power of being a passenger is also something AAA is hoping to bring to the forefront this month.

“Surveys show us that 90% of drivers will put down their phone if they are asked to by the passenger,” Gugliotta explained. “We have a lot more power than we realize as passengers.”

She also advised drivers put their phone on do not disturb mode when driving, or asking the passenger to help with directions.

Filming and posting on social media are also a rising concern, according to Gugliotta.

“We use the word ‘texting’ for too long as it is related to distracted driving, because there are so many other distractions that we need to be concerned about,” she said.

In 2019, an average of nine lives were loss every day in 2019 from distracted driving, information from the National Traffic Highway Administration showed. Gugliotta said their were 35 lives lost locally from distracted driving that year.