ROADSIDE CHAT - BEST OFFENSE IS GOOD DEFENSE, HEAD UP/PHONE DOWN
Elite college basketball programs know that offense wins games, but defense wins NCAA championships. While a strong offensive plan scores points and draws crowds, the team that focuses on making stops and keeps their opponent’s scoring down takes home the hardware. Like good defensive play, you can’t let yourself get distracted by anything that’s happening off the roadway.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving was responsible for more than 3,300 deaths in 2022. Research shows that drivers using phones only see about 50% of all the information in their driving environment. That’s when a lapse in focus can be the difference between a slam dunk safe trip and a crash.
In addition, half of respondents in an Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety and Iowa State Patrol survey admitted to at least sometimes driving with a cell phone in hand, and more than 90% say they believe the behavior is extremely dangerous. With that in mind, the best and safest defense is to keep your head up and put your phone down.
Watch the compelling story of a Florida Highway Patrol officer who nearly lost his life after being hit by a distracted driver who was texting.
In 2025 in Iowa, 43 people have been killed in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of two since last Friday. In Iowa in 2024, there were 356 traffic-related deaths. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf