As part of our digital parenting and Distracted Driving Awareness Month blog series, we are featuring a post by Next Step Academy, the online school for life skills. They are offering a free distracted driving course that everyone should take! Read on to learn more and learn some shocking statistics. Free Distracted Driving Course
You may remember that feeling when you first sat behind the wheel of a car – nerves take over, senses heighten, and we wonder how we will ever figure it all out. Driving demands a lot from the person behind the wheel, and it can be overwhelming to any first-timer.
A new driver must immediately figure out how to maintain focus and control, and in the beginning, it can seem impossible that we might ever be able to do anything other than grip the wheel; but at some point, we get comfortable. We forget the fear that once gripped us when we first gripped that wheel, and foolishly, we add tasks to our drive in addition to keeping our eyes on the road and our hands perfectly positioned at “10 and 2.”
What are those tasks, you ask? You name it and people do it – eat, drink, read, write, talk on the phone, text, and the list goes on and on. And it’s all dangerous; that goes without saying. But here is something that just might shock you: When you text and drive, you are 20 times more likely to get into an accident.
Shocking, right? Every time you pick up your phone to send or receive a text message while driving, you are 20 time more likely to get into an accident. Still not sinking in? Compare that statistic to this one: When you drink and drive, you are seven times more likely to get into an accident.
Now, there is never a good reason to get behind the wheel of a car when you have been drinking. Never. However, these numbers should shed a little light onto the very real dangers of driving while distracted. It’s beyond dangerous and, as we know all too well, it can be deadly.
The only thing a driver should be doing while behind the wheel of a car is paying attention to the task at hand and, more importantly, having both eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel and the right mind to keep them there.
That is why Next Step Academy, the world’s newest school for life skills, has put together a FREE course all about the dangers of distracted driving. The Distracted Drivingcourse offers a look into the numbers behind the danger and the many ways we take our safety, and the safety of others, for granted when we do things like text and drive.
The overarching goal of the online learning platform is to allow students and young adults to learn critical life skills in a fun and interactive way. Courses aim to equip students with tangible and applicable knowledge that will help them to be successful in all areas of life.
Distracted Driving is just one of many important topics Next Step Academy covers. Currently, other courses include Dangers of Credit, Entrepreneurship, Paying for College, and Fitness. New courses are being added to the platform on a continual basis.
As mentioned, Next Step Academy is offering the Distracted Driving course for FREE! However, individual memberships to Next Step Academy’s entire suite of courses may be purchased for just $50 per year, giving students access to the current complete course offering as well as all new courses as they become available.
Download uKnowKids' Distracted Driving Infographic for more statistics, tips and information!
Want to learn more about Distracted Driving and take the FREE course? Click here to register and begin learning!
For more information about Next Step Academy, visit http://NextStepAcademy.com or send an email to info@NextStepAcademy.com to learn more.
