Safe Driving Protocols Should Be Established Before, While on Road

More than 90% of households in the U.S. own at least one car, so practicing safe driving habits is vital for everyone. However, according to a 2024 survey from The Zebra, 60% of respondents said they talk on their phones when driving, while 47% said they send or receive text messages.

During April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Lukas Partners public relations client UScellular provides tips and resources for drivers about built-in phone features, apps and other resources to help prevent distracted driving.

For Distracted Driving Awareness Month, UScellular offers the following tech tips to help drivers practice better driving habits.

· Use US Mode. Built-in phone features are available to help drivers stay focused on the road. Using the native settings on your device, you can put your phone in US Mode and limit notifications and distractions and reduce the calls and texts you receive while driving.

· Get situated before setting out. Before drivers hit the road, they should connect their smartphone to a vehicle’s CarPlay or Bluetooth, if available. Be sure to then set the phone out of the way or use a mounting device. Drivers should confirm sightlines are clear before heading out.

· Establish your own rules of the road. Establishing phone usage expectations with family members is an important step to limit distracted driving. UScellular offers a free Smarter Start Toolkit that includes a customizable parent-child agreement to help families outline appropriate phone usage while driving, such as not texting and driving, keeping location apps active and night-time driving limitations.

· Take advantage of apps. A wide range of apps, such as Life360 and Find My Family, are available to help share locations, monitor driving speeds and detect real-time accidents.