The 3 Most Important Things You Can Do To Reduce Your Risk Of A Car Accident

Tragically, more than a thousand fatalities have already occurred on Georgia roadways this year. The worst offender causing a Georgia car accident this year is a distracted driver.

As of October 1, the number of people who died in roadway crashes in Georgia was 1,006, which breaks down to almost one every 6.5 hours, or about four per day.

To help reduce roadway fatalities, Georgia launched a new campaign called Drive Alert Arrive Alive. Drive Alert Arrive Alive seeks to alert the public to the surge in preventable traffic fatalities and encourage simple changes in driving behavior to hopefully reduce this largely preventable problem.

DriveAlert ArriveAlive offers the following tips for Georgia drivers:

1) Buckle up. It sounds so simple, but so many people ignore this basic and necessary safety standard. Babies must always be placed in proper car seats, and young toddlers and small children must have booster seats to ensure the seat belt fits them properly.

2) Stay off your phone while driving. Nearly three-quarters of all fatalities are attributed to driver behavior. It only takes a split second to cause a massive accident based on an irrelevant text or checking social media. This is never worth the risk.

3) Drive alert. Do not drive when you are tired, and of course, NEVER drive while drinking or while taking prescription medication that causes drowsiness.

GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said if the current problem continues, Georgia could see more than 1,200 deaths by car accident in 2015. That would be the first increase in Georgia in a decade, as there has been a consistent reduction in fatalities for nine straight years.

Single-vehicle crashes have accounted for 49 percent of fatalities this year, and the main cause appears to be distracted driving.