Distracted driving can lead to serious collisions with other vehicles. That’s why it’s so important for drivers to pay attention to the road. Did you know that around nine people are killed every day as a result of crashes that involved a distracted driver? People know that driving while distracted is dangerous, but many participate in distracting activities anyway.
There are three kinds of distractions, visual, cognitive and manual. Visual distractions take your eyes away from what you’re doing. Being distracted manually takes at least one of your hands off the wheel. Cognitive distractions take your mind off driving while you think about something else.
Did you know that anything that can take your mind off the road is a distraction?
While texting and driving is among the most dangerous activities, there are many different distractions that can cause accidents. Some of them include:
- Eating behind the wheel
- Talking to passengers
- Feeling tired
- Making a phone call
- Sending emails
- Reading
- Drinking behind the wheel
The reason texting is so dangerous is because it combines all three kinds of distractions. Taking your eyes off the road for just five seconds is enough time to drive the same distance as a football field (if you’re traveling at around 55 mph). If you visualize it that way, it is easy to see how many things could go wrong over such a distance.
How do you prevent distractions behind the wheel?
There are dozens of ways to prevent distractions, from putting your phone on silent to making sure that people know that you are driving and not to call you. You can also limit the number of passengers you transport at any one time, and you can pull over and stop if you need to send a text message or read an email.
If you plan to eat while driving, take the time to pull over and stop in a parking lot. The few minutes it takes you to eat your food won’t delay you for long, and you will be much safer parked than if you were traveling.
Distractions are a real problem in America, and it takes everyone to realize the dangers to prevent accidents. If you are hit by someone who was distracted, they will be held liable for the incident. Distractions cause collisions, and the authorities are cracking down on people who aren’t paying attention when they’re driving on the roads.