Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away from driving safely. This is something that needs to be taken very seriously – distracted driving not only affects your safety but also that of your passengers, other drivers and their passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The three categories of distracted driving are:
- Manual, any time your hands leave the steering wheel,
- Visual, any time your eyes leave the road, and
- Cognitive, any time your mind fails to focus on your driving.
The following nine actions are prime examples of distracted driving. Most people have likely done one or more of these without realizing the danger it could present.
- Texting
Texting involves all three types of distraction – manual when you are typing the text, visual when you look down to see what you are typing and cognitive as you decide what to write. Texting while driving greatly increases the risk of a crash by as much as 23 times! For example, if you are driving at 55mph and take your eyes off the road for 5 seconds to type a text, you will have traveled the entire length of a football field without being engaged.
Most texts are not that important and can wait until you get to your destination. But, if it is urgent and cannot wait, pull over at the next safe location, send your text and, if having the answer is crucial, wait for the response.
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- Talking on the phone
Talking on the phone while driving, even if it is hands-free, results in an impairment comparable to .08 blood alcohol limit. It is compromising your ability to be alert and aware while you are driving. Many people talk on the phone while driving just to break up the boredom of driving. This is not a good habit and is disrespectful to others who might be harmed by your lack of attention.
That said, it is true that you could also be on the receiving end if some other driver is careless and uses their mobile phone while driving. In such scenarios, if your car is damaged or you are hurt, you can claim compensation from the responsible party. You should speak with your injury lawyer to file the case and get excellent remuneration; learn more here.
Hence, the next time you are tempted to make (or take) a phone call while driving, ask yourself if it is really necessary to have that conversation right now. Can it wait until you get home? Or until you can find a safe place to pull over? Very likely the answer is yes.
- Eating
Eating while driving is a common occurrence. Maybe you are in a rush in the morning and need to eat breakfast as you drive to work. Or you grab some fast food and down it while driving to your next meeting. Statistics indicate that up to 80% of automobile accidents are caused by a distracted driver eating a meal.
As with texting, eating while driving involves all three types of distractions. You are manually distracted while you are unwrapping your food, adding condiments, opening your fork and knife packet and using your hands to eat. You are visually impaired for all of the same reasons plus constantly checking to make sure nothing spills and everything remains accessible to you. Savoring your food or getting angry when something spills will set off the cognitive distraction.
Eating while driving is so dangerous that the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration released a list of the ten most dangerous foods to eat while driving which includes chili, soups, fried chicken, tacos, barbecue, hamburgers, chocolate and filled doughnuts. The two drinks on the list, soft drinks and coffee, will be discussed next.
To avoid causing an accident due to eating while operating a vehicle, wait until you get to your office or home to eat. If that is just not possible, pull into a parking lot or other safe location and enjoy your food.
- Drinking
Drinking non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, coffee or even water while you are driving is a danger to yourself and others. Reaching for your drink takes your hand from the wheel and your eyes from the road. That coffee you just bought is likely very hot and the first sip of scalding liquid could well take your mind off of driving and on to how to fix your burnt lip.
Other risks involved include spilling your drink and, to a lesser extent, choking when it goes down the wrong pipe. Overall, it is just wiser to wait until you reach your destination to enjoy your beverage because, although it is not illegal to drink water or coffee while driving, you will get a ticket for careless driving if you cause an accident.
Driving under the influence of alcohol, on the other hand, is illegal. Even the smallest amount of alcohol could result in vision impairment and the inability to concentrate on safe driving. It is best for all involved to simply not take the risk of drinking alcohol and driving.
- Talking to passengers
Talking to your passengers seems like an innocent and polite thing to do. However, a 2016 study deemed having a conversation with your passenger to be more dangerous than talking on the phone. It can be visually distracting if you turn to move your eyes from the road every time you speak and certainly cognitively distracting as you think about what your passenger said and formulate your next thought or reaction.
It is not necessary to drive in silence but avoid prolonged and in-depth conversations while you are at the wheel – they can wait until you get home or to the office.
- Grooming
Performing grooming tasks such as shaving, putting on makeup and fixing your hair is a major source of distracted driving accidents. There is no good reason to do any of these tasks while you are driving. If you feel that you need your driving time to groom yourself, consider:
- Add time to your morning schedule – getting up 10-15 minutes earlier can save lives
- If you must bring your grooming tools with you in the car, put them in the trunk so you are not tempted
- And if all else fails, pull over to a safe location and put on your makeup or shave
- Looking at a GPS device
Most cars have a built-in navigation system which, for safety reasons, cannot be manipulated while the vehicle is in motion. However, drivers are still tempted to try to change their destination or tweak the route to make the trip a little shorter. This can result in all three types of distraction – manual as you are attempting to enter information, visual as you are watching what you type instead of the road and cognitive as you are thinking of what to enter and why it isn’t working.
Most GPS devices have an audio feature that will walk you through the directions. Disabling the audio is not a good thing and will result in visual distraction as you try to figure out where to turn next. Enter your destination into the GPS or navigation system before leaving your home and make sure the audio is on. It is a good idea to have a general idea where you are going and not be dependent on the device. If you have a portable GPS or a GPS app on your phone, attach it to a mounting device. And, as always, if you have to interact with the GPS or nav, pull over to a safe location before doing so.
- Looking at a map
Physical maps are no longer commonly used. If you do, be sure to map the route before leaving for your destination and do not spend time studying the map while you drive.
Most phones have map apps that people often use for directions. Although it is legal to use your phone for directions, it isn’t legal to drive distracted or carelessly. If the app has an audio feature, use it. If not, study your route ahead of time and pull over if you get lost.
- Making adjustments
Reaching over to turn up the radio or turn down the air conditioner is a classic physical and visual distraction. Both your hand and your eyes leave the road at the same time; this could result in disaster if the car in front of you stops fast while you are not looking. Choose your radio station or playlist when you first get in the car and set the volume to a reasonable level.
Listening to music or an audiobook can be cognitively distracting when you get lost in your favorite song or mystery. Often people say they got in their car, turned on a book and, the next thing they knew, they were pulling in their driveway. Kudos to the book for being so engaging but bad driving procedure as clearly, the driver was not 100% attentive to the road.
These are a few of the more common actions that lead to distracted driving. Review your driving habits and identify what takes your attention away from being the safest driver on the road. Along with texting and phone calls, checking social media is a common distractor. Is there anything on social media worth the risk of causing an accident and injuries? Probably not.
Some states have enacted distracted driving laws that do not prevent distracted driving but do provide harsh penalties for violations. Young drivers can influence their friends by applying peer pressure. Parents can influence their children by setting examples and by enforcing their consequences for distracted driving. No one is immune from the harm of distracted driving and, as a result, we are all responsible for bringing it under control.