Canadian auto dealers have begun their month-long initiative to combat distracted driving, according to an LGM Financial Services news release.
The Auto Dealers Against Distracted Driving campaign begins every March, and aims to spread awareness “that there’s no such thing as safe multi-tasking while behind the wheel.” It also seeks to encourage dealership customers, staff and members of the community to commit to driving distraction-free by making a pledge online (via DistractionFree.ca) or at the dealership.
“This year’s campaign is all about increasing dealer engagement and dispelling the myth that you can do several things at once while driving,” said Marc-Andre Lefebvre, Vice President of Sales for Quebec and campaign lead at LGM. “Many people think that just because they haven’t had an incident or close call, it means they’re skilled at multitasking and therefore don’t pose a risk to themselves or others on the road, and that’s a dangerous misconception,” he added.
Drivers using a cell phone could miss up to 50 per cent of the available information in their driving environment, according to the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF). They also note that drivers can suffer from “inattention blindness” when they focus more on tasks that have nothing to do with actually driving.
The goal of this year’s initiative is to “encourage behavioural change” in drivers, while also collecting 20,000 pledges against distracted driving.
LGM Financial Services, who has facilitated the campaign since its inception in 2015, has offered to donate $1 towards road safety education and research for each pledge it receives, up to a maximum of $20,000. The proceeds will be offered to TIRF.
