Before the roads become packed with young adults returning from college, out-of-town visitors arriving, and last-minute trips to the store for that missing item in Aunt Ida’s stuffing, I wanted to get in a few words about focusing on the drive this Thanksgiving.
If you’re driving, put down the phone. Better yet, put it in the glove compartment, or, if you’re driving with others, hand the phone over to someone you trust.
There’s still time before you get on the road to make arrangements; you don’t have to try to settle things while you drive. If you’re driving home from college, make sure that your parents know to leave a message if they call because you’re not answering the phone while driving. And say your goodbyes to your peers at school and not while you drive. Let your friends know in advance that the driver is out of contact until the drive is over, end of story. No texts, no tweets, no e-mails, no calls.
For you parents: As a parent myself, I know how much we worry. But don’t call your children while they’re driving. Distracting them from the driving task can cause far more heartache than not knowing exactly where they are and how they’re getting along.
Back on the home front: If you need to call back to your house to see if you forgot to stock up on something for the guests, do it from the store parking lot. If you’re a guest on the way and you need to tell your hosts your progress, do it from a rest area.
Thanksgiving is a joyous American holiday, and it kicks off our festive holiday season. While we’re gathering with friends and family to give thanks for all we’ve got, let’s not open ourselves up to a terrible loss.
Mom, dad, kids, sis, boyfriend, girlfriend, fiancée, spouse, buddy… I won’t take your call and I won’t answer your text while I’m on the road. Our connection doesn’t depend on our tweets, text messages, photos, or phone conversations while driving; it’s in our hearts, not our heart emojis. It’s far better to lose the electronic representation of a loved one for a few minutes or hours than to lose a loved one—or cause somebody else to lose a loved one—forever.
Last April, StopDistractions.org, Drive Smart VA, and the National Safety Council worked with the NTSB to present a roundtable, “Act to End Deadly Distractions.” The roundtable brought together survivor advocates with other experts to tell their stories and share tools they’re using in their fight against distracted driving. Some of the survivor advocates at this roundtable will see empty seats this year at the Thanksgiving table. As one of the participants put it, “this isn’t a club any of us wanted to be in. We don’t want to be here; we want to be home with our loved ones . . . that was taken from us.”
Thousands of people “join the club” of distracted driving survivors or victims every year. But this Thanksgiving, we can all act to lower this number and get home safely to our loved ones by disconnecting while we’re driving.
Click on the link to see a few moments from the “Act to End Deadly Distractions” roundtable (just not while you’re driving).
NTSB Safety Compass Blog 
Great comments and suggestions that are more applicable during the Holidays than any other time of the year. Also, make sure you program your GPS Before you depart !!! Stay alert and Stay alive !!!
Driving defensible also means keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. The one car lenght for every 10 miles per hour is still a good rule of thumb. The same applies when you pass another vehicle on the left….Stay oo the fast lane until you have obtain the same distnace between you and the car you just passed.