Five seconds. That's the time it takes to sneak a glance at your smartphone to see who texted you. But in just five seconds, a car at highway speed can travel the length of a football field.

As the unofficial start of the summer driving season begins, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation reminds residents that distracted driving can have serious and even deadly consequences.

“For the safety of our customers and employees, we urge residents to learn about the dangers of inattentiveness behind the wheel,” said Charles A. Freni, President and C.E.O. of Central Hudson.

“Many of our employees routinely work alongside roadways when repairing electric and natural gas facilities, reading meters and completing many other tasks. These workers are placed at higher risk when drivers become distracted,” he said. “Also, as the summer travel season gets underway, many will be taking to the roads. The ability to see, react or recognize changes on the road ahead is seriously compromised when preoccupied with other, non-driving tasks. That's why we are asking everyone behind the wheel to put away their cell phones, pay attention and make safe driving their priority.”

According to the National Safety Council, drivers talking on cell phones can miss up to 50 percent of the driving environments, including pedestrians and traffic lights.

“Central Hudson has a strong culture of safety and strict policies regarding our employees' use of cell phones,” said Freni. “Distracted driving can devastate lives in an instant, and we owe it to ourselves, our families and those with whom we share the road to give driving our full attention.”

For more information about the dangers and prevention of distracted driving, visit www.CentralHudson.com/DistractedDriving. To view Central Hudson’s video on distracted driving, click here.