Heading out for a road trip this July Fourth with the family?
Expect lots of company as a record 72.2 million Americans are projected to take to the roads for the Independence Day holiday week (June 27-July 5) with over 2 million Michiganders among them, according to AAA-The Auto Club.
Before you get behind the wheel, be prepared to drive defensively and focus on the road.
Why? We’re in the throes of the 100 most dangerous days of the year for driving (between Memorial and Labor Day weekends) when more crashes occur as distracted driving proliferates.
Approximately 3,200 people are killed and another 315,000 injured every year in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA. (Experts believe the numbers are actually far higher.)
“Distracted driving remains a growing traffic safety problem nationwide,” said Adrienne Woodland, AAA-The Auto Club spokesperson.
Between cell phones, video screens and kids in the back seat wanting attention, there’s lots of temptations for those behind the wheel to see what is going on.
Add in the sea of orange construction barrels on streets and highways and folks riding e-bikes on roads, driving has become an obstacle course that requires drivers to pay close attention to the road ahead.
“Distracted driving crashes are preventable,” said Steven Kiefer, former head of global operations at General Motors who is founder and chairman of The Kiefer Foundation. ‘’Unlike many crash factors, the solution is largely within our control. We already know what safer behavior looks like. The challenge is turning that knowledge into consistent action.”
The perils of distracted driving hit home for Kiefer and his family on Sept. 19, 2016, when his teenage son, Mitchel, died in a highway wreck caused by a distracted driver.
Mitchel, a freshman at Michigan State University, had come home to attend a Detroit Lions game and was heading back to school when his car was rear-ended by a young woman who was distracted on her cell phone as she drove on Interstate 96 and didn’t notice traffic had come to a standstill in front of her. She slammed into Mitchel’s car and sent it sailing into traffic coming the other way, where a truck slammed into his car and he was instantly killed.
After the tragedy, Steven Kiefer knew he had to do something to help raise awareness about the perils of distracted driving.
He started The Kiefer Foundation in Mitchel’s honor. The nonprofit is based in Plymouth.
Now retired from GM, Kiefer has been working with other groups in states including Michigan to add or stiffen distracted driving laws. He has worked with auto companies, AAA-The Auto Club, the Detroit Regional Chamber, state leaders, NHTSA and others in states across America.
General Motors has made driver attention a pillar of its philanthropic giving. Over the last two years, the company has invested more than $40 million in road safety programs.
GM also has a Driver Distraction Lab at its Milford Proving Ground, where it works on technology that can help.
“GM’s Global Human Factors Laboratory simulator provides engineers an immersive experience through multiple screens and cameras that can test prototype infotainment systems using tablets well before any hardware is produced,” said Regina Carto, GM’s vice president of Global Product Safety, Systems and Certification.
Engineers from GM’s Global Human Factors Center and the Global Safety Center study screen interactions and work together at the lab.
“The team collaborates with product designers early in the vehicle development process to optimize features for the driving experience and shape them to meet industry and internal distraction guidelines focused on keeping drivers’ eyes on the road and hands on the wheel,” she added.
Kiefer is the perfect person to talk about this safety issue. He told me he, too, once was among the offenders, having sometimes used his cell phone while driving, habits he gave up once he realized the dangers.
As The Kiefer Foundation comes up on its 10th anniversary, I posed a few questions to Kiefer. His answers are edited for length.
QUESTION: You have worked with states in raising awareness. Tell me more.
ANSWER: We’ve worked alongside partners across the country to support stronger distracted driving policies through education, coalition building, public awareness campaigns, and stakeholder engagement. In 2025, we provided support and resources to advocates and policymakers involved in successful hands-free legislation efforts in Iowa, Louisiana and South Carolina.
Q: As you look ahead, what states are you focusing on?
A: We’re looking ahead to 2027 legislative sessions. Some of the states where we are supporting education and awareness efforts include Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Every state is different, so our role is to provide research, educational resources, best practices and connections to help local stakeholders advance conversations in a way that makes sense for their state.
Q: I know Florida is unique in this conversation. Why?
A: Florida is one of the largest states in the country that has not yet adopted a comprehensive hands-free driving law, which makes it a particularly important state in the distracted driving conversation. What we’ve found is that regardless of political affiliation, most people agree that distracted driving is dangerous. Florida provides an opportunity to have that discussion on a very large scale, and that’s one reason so many safety organizations remain engaged in the effort.
Q: What have you learned about distracted driving?
A: One of the biggest things we’ve learned is distracted driving isn’t a knowledge problem— it’s a behavior problem. We’ve learned that changing behavior requires more than awareness alone. People need education, practical tools, supportive policies, and, increasingly, technology that helps make the safer choice the easier choice.
Contact Carol Cain at clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 5:30 a.m. Sundays on CBS Detroit and 9:30 a.m. Sundays on CW Detroit 50. See Mark Hollis, (PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic) David Carroll (Nicely Theatre Group) and actresses Jennifer Horne and Cecily Gamarra. You can also watch the show simultaneously on the two stations’ listings on Fubu, Pluto TV, YouTube TV and Apple TV.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dad uses 100 most dangerous days to talk about son, distracted driving
Reporting by Carol Cain, Detroit Free Press Business Columnist / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Carol Cain, Detroit Free Press Business Columnist | USA TODAY Network
