Distracted Driving 

“It can’t happen to me. I’ve got this.” 

We’re all prone to thinking of ourselves as the exception to the rule, but when it comes to safety, it’s important to remember that no matter how we think it can’t happen to us… it can.  

June 2026 is National Safety Month, and since week two focuses on Staying Safe on the Roads, we at the DG Safety Team ask you all to take the pledge to drive phone-free. 

You may think: “I’ll just shoot a quick text.” What could it take, five seconds? But according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), five distracted seconds at a speed of 55 mph is the same as driving an entire length of a football field with your eyes shut. 

In 2020, distracted driving took 3,142 lives. And while teenaged drivers are at most risk – teens are 23x more likely to be involved in an accident when handling or using a cell phone – consider that, as an adult driver, you are a role model. Michelle Lunsford, who spoke to the NSC, regrets the message she’d reinforced so often for her daughter, Camryn: “I’ve been driving for 30 years, I got this.” Tragically, Camryn died at only 17, distracted by her own phone while driving.  

No call or text is so important or so urgent that you can’t wait a few minutes to ensure the safety of the people around you and the people that you care about most. So in June – and beyond – we ask you to put down the phone and #justdrive. ◆