Some editors will do anything for an article. One of our editors, who shall remain nameless, received a speeding ticket and was encouraged to take a Distracted Driving course for a nominal (not) fee. First thought – oh no, this is going to be boring and time-consuming, and so totally unnecessary. I mean, why would someone speed if they don't already know how to drive well! Already somewhat of a procrastinator, it seemed right to put off taking the course until the final moment, especially considering there were far more important things to take care of. The best part – the entire course was completed online in the comfort of an easy chair with only an hour of down time.

Well, surprisingly this course ended up being a real eye-opener! In fact, the information was so interesting and helpful we just had to share it, especially with holiday shopping and travel  expected to be at an all-time high this year. It is anticipated that approximately 48.5 million people (nearly 5% more than last year) will be driving for their holiday travels this year, with the heaviest travel period being November 21-25. Those traveling in congested cities can expect to spend four times longer on the roads during this period than they normally would spend. The 2018 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume in more than a dozen years! This will only serve to increase the number of distracted and aggressive drivers on the roads.

Distracted driving can be blamed on several factors, such as more people being on the roads than in years past leading to increased traffic, people having busier schedules and leading more stressful lives. There is evidenced a lack of respect and courtesy on the roads, with most of us having a 'me first' attitude to driving. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that one-third of us are driving aggressively, costing the industry $200 billion in accidents. Aggressive driving is described as those driving without proper regard for themselves or the safety of others.