Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Keep eyes on the road, hands on the wheel

DEARBORN, Mich. — Distracted driving continues to grow increasingly more commonplace and worrisome. Consider a recent AAA survey in which 87.5% of drivers say distracted driving has outpaced all traffic-related issues as a growing safety concern.

And among the biggest concern of all is the distracted teen driver. Phones and friends can cause life-threatening distractions.

"It may seem harmless for a teen to drive their friends home from practice or school, but the crash risk doubles when teens drive just one peer passenger and triples with two or more teen passengers," said Jim Graham, global manager, Ford Driving Skills for Life, Ford Motor Company Fund. "It's a huge problem."

Indeed, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teens.

Ford Fund has been addressing teen driver safety through its award-winning Driving Skills for Life program since 2003. Ford Fund has invested more than $60 million in the program, which has offered free advanced driver education course to more than 1.25 million newly licensed drivers worldwide.

In-person and virtual classes cover risky behind-the-wheel behavior, including being inexperienced as well as distracted and impaired driving.

With April being Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Ford Fund encourages all drivers—new and experienced—to share in the responsibility to end distracted driving.

Parents can watch The Daily Drive: Educating Parents of Teen Drivers Podcast in this article to hear recommendations from Ford Driving Skills for Life driving instructors on addressing distracted driving with teens.

To find additional Ford Driving Skills for Life resources to educate and raise awareness of distracted driving visit DrivingSkillsforLife.com.