Recently I’ve seen an increase in the number of crashes caused by distracted driving. Quite sadly, my neighbor was recently killed on her way to work by a careless driver. We are reposting this article from 2017, a problem then, and an even greater problem now. -Dr. Bob Cummins
We already know our traffic can be terrible along 405 in Bellevue and across the I-90 bridge in Seattle, that auto accidents occur at times – that’s why they are called accidents. However, don’t let your cell phone suck you into distracted driving.
Check out the statistics released in the latest article by Mike Lindblom from the Seattle Times on January 1st, 2017. In Washington state, “distracted-driving deaths jumped from 130 in 2014 to 171 in 2015, nearly a third of the overall 556 traffic fatalities in 2016.” Deaths. That is the end. No second chances here friends. Check out the full article here.
“I get that you didn’t mean to kill my son, but you did mean to pick up your cellphone and look at it. You made a choice, just like a drunk driver, you chose to get in a vehicle and drive it,” said the mother of 23 year old Cody Meyer who was a construction flagger killed by a distracted driver last December outside of Issaquah.
Chiropractic can help after a Car Accident…. but only if you make it home alive
We see many patients who have suffered from car accident injuries and are so glad to be able to bring them back to their passions they enjoyed before their crash: back to work, lifting grand kids, sleeping without pain, hiking the Wonderland trail, cycling around Lake Washington. We have the honor of helping people back to gold medal health. But, as Dr. Cummins has said many times to his patients, “there are limitations of matter.” When there is an accident and you get sent to the hospital for life or death injuries, you’ll never have the chance to see a great chiropractor to help with whip-lash as some people don’t make it out alive.
Top 5 Attentive Driving Tips
Don’t put yourself, your children, or our neighbors on the road at risk by driving distracted. Check out these five tips focused on cell phone use to help keep accidents at bay and when the new stricter distracted driving state laws are passed, you will be ready.
1. Make a rule: NEVER text, game or email while driving.
2. Set your Pandora station or NPR one ap to play your favorite tunes or talk before you pull out of the park. Then drive and enjoy!
3. Set your phone out of reach to avoid distraction if you are teaching yourself a new habit of “no car phone”. This will help you make the transition to not relying on your phone while driving.
4. Give yourself a goal and a reward for adapting this new and lifesaving behavior. For example, say for the next 14 days, you won’t look at your phone even at stop lights while driving. If you “win”, buy yourself a new iphone case or some great meat from the Newcastle B&E Meat market. Find something that motivates you to change!
5. When you do hear a ring or a ding or a sign that there is something waiting for you on your phone while driving, ask yourself “Can it wait?” Then, tell yourself, “Yes, it can wait.” Because, what text or update or thought can’t be put off for a few minutes? If it really is important, exit or pull over.
Cummins Chiropractic & Wellness is proud to be a 100 Year Lifestyle Affiliate Clinic serving Bellevue and beyond with our best chiropractic care. Our goal is to bring you to gold medal health so you can live vibrantly from your first breath of life to your last.
