An epidemic is sweeping across America

• It takes your eyes off the road on average of five seconds at a time. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of a football field - completely blind.
  
• It's like driving after having 4 beers.
  
• It makes us 23 times more likely to crash.
  
• It results in car crashes that kill an average of 11 teens each day.
  
• It's results in 330,000 distracted driving injuries every year.
  

• What Parents Can Do

  Talk to your teens NOW: Tell them the facts. Tell them that distracted driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving. Tell them what their peers say:

  87% percent of teens think that driving and texting is dangerous

  80% of teenage girls and 58% of teenage boys admitted to texting behind the wheel

  65% have asked someone to stop driving dangerously 
  (The Allstate Foundation and National Organizations for Youth Safety, May 2009)

• Set a good example: Throw your cell phone into the back seat. Don't check your email at stoplights. If you must talk on the phone, use a hands-free headset. And never, ever text while driving.

  Establish harsh consequences: If your teens practice distracted driving, take away the car keys. Immediately.