Do you feel that you are supremely safe behind the wheel of your car? Not just relating to your safety, but the safety of everybody else out there! It’s the bane of the common driver that we think we do nothing wrong. And, as evidenced by the amount of people who are more than willing to risk their lives for the sake of getting their drive-thru meal home quickly, or cutting up people on the freeway just to make sure they get to work a little bit earlier, we’re all a little bit stupid when it comes to our driving. Although there are common driving problems that are behind these reasons, the biggest issue we have is distracted driving. Now, we have so many distractions, in the car, on the road, and in life, that it’s unsurprising that we don’t pay attention to our speed, or even don’t look at the road properly! So have a look around your car, what are the most common distractions you, and everybody, has?
Cell Phones
It has to start here, doesn’t it? Cell phones are the biggest distraction we have in life whether we’re behind the wheel or not. Because cellphones are more likely to cause an accident, it’s advisable to minimize distraction from our phones. We are bombarded with texts, social media notifications, and phone calls, that we can easily find ourselves engaging in conversations while driving, and focusing more on them than looking at the road! Texting and driving is, amazingly, still commonplace now, and the amount of people that put themselves in dangerous situations, either overtaking while texting, or actually focusing on their phone rather than on the road, even if they aren’t in the process of texting, are very dangerous things indeed.
GPS Systems
The stress of using GPS devices while attempting to drive in an unfamiliar area means you’re trying to focus equally on the road and on the device. When planning a long journey, it’s much better for you to get an idea of the route you would do if you were to look on a map. GPS devices are notorious for going in a different direction than the one you had planned, and this amount of distraction can cause friction between you and the other passengers.
Other People
Not just other passengers, but people outside of the vehicle! You can visit Acheson Law to see an article on where a cyclist and driver were both found responsible for a traffic collision. This means that, while there are infinite distractions in the car, this contributes to a lack of focus on the road, especially if there is a daredevil biker trying to take over, and you veer in front of them. By being distracted in the car, you are less quick to react if something happens outside the vehicle. The big problem we all have as drivers is that as soon as we get used to the roads, that’s when we relax a bit more into our driving routines. Unfortunately, this is when accidents are most likely to happen. Because, as common sense dictates, it’s not the roads, but the traffic that causes the accident. Other passengers can be a major distraction in this sense, and not just noisy children, it can be adults. In fact, it’s argued that some adults are worse than children. It can be worse when a minor has just passed their driving test, and they are ferrying their friends around. The temptation to put the music up loud, or talk to your fellow passengers behind you means you are less likely to focus on the road in front of you. We’ve all seen those selfies that people take in the passenger seat while driving, but this is another distraction. Remember, you are in control of the safety of those people in your car. Don’t be afraid of asking people to be quieter so you can focus on the road.
The Dashboard
As well as the GPS system, the modern dashboard has various amounts of gadgets that can prove to be very distracting. Not just the radio or sound system, that can play your favorite tunes at more than full volume, there are so many functions on a car now, that it’s easy to take your eyes off the road for that split second that really matters. While all these functions aim to make your journey smoother, cruise control, on-wheel controls, as well as various amount of digits showing you how many miles per gallon you are doing, isn’t relevant to your journey from A to B. If you don’t know how to use the thing, read the instruction manual before you head out!
The Mirrors
Yes, this might sound like a contradiction in terms, but we’ve all been tempted to look at ourselves in the mirror, rather than look at the road. Whether it’s women that are running late to work and need to touch up their makeup, or men who are touching up their hair, this is the very pinnacle of distracted driving. Use the mirrors for what they are there for!
In addition to these, there are other major distractions, inside and out of your car. Not just eye candy on the side of the road, or even a spider that made it’s way into a car, but also emotional turmoil is a major factor. We’ve all experienced long, arduous journeys, and we’ve all thought back to our time in the car, and couldn’t remember a single thing about it. It could be because you were operating on autopilot, or because you were distracted in your head. Tiredness is one of the biggest causes of crashes, and death, so if you feel yourself being distracted by your own yawns, do everybody a favor: pull over.
It’s not just what’s on the dashboard that will distract you, but it’s issues inside, as well as outside of the car. Distracted driving is the biggest problem on the road nowadays, and the only solution is to look at our own driving habits, and ask ourselves if we are really driving distracted?
