How To Avoid Life Threatening Distractions When Driving
The biggest challenge faced by drivers is very simply keeping their eyes on the road. With technology forever expanding to make our lives perceivably better, we are at far greater risk of entering a life-threatening situation when distracted in the car.
Distracted driving takes a driver’s attention away from the primary task and can include any of the following activities:
- Texting
- Using mobile phone or smartphone
- Eating and drinking
- Talking to passengers
- Pets in the car.
- Grooming
- Reading, including maps
- Using a navigation system
- Watching video (including video messaging like Skype)
- Playing with a car stereo
To avoid entering into life threatening situations as a result of being distracted while driving, consider making our following suggestions habits when you’re driving.
- Place your phone on silent and out of reach so that you’re note tempted to take a phone call, read or reply to a message.
- If you need to use your phone for any reason, pull off the road safely.
- Prepare for any lengthy drives by eating and getting a drink first.
- Check maps to get an idea of where you’re heading before leaving.
- Select your music for your drive before leaving.
- Always ensure you are well rested before long drives.
- Discuss with children the importance of keeping as quiet as possible in the car, avoiding fights and distractions to the driver.
- Ensure pets are appropriately restrained in your car while travelling.
The human brain isn’t very good at multitasking
The human brain is a very powerful organ, but it is not very good at multitasking. When we choose to take on another task like texting, changing the radio or even talking to someone in the car, it is almost impossible to do both accurately. Meaning we are not only putting our lives at risk but all of those on the road and in our motor vehicle.
One day in the future, safe driverless cars will be how we transport ourselves from point A to point B, but until then we need to be aware that distractions are always occurring when we are driving, and our only job as the driver is to drive the car safely.