5 Major Driving Distractions and How to Avoid Them
Driving is a task that requires your complete attention, yet millions of drivers use their morning commute as a time to eat breakfast, fix their hair, or answer emails. Distracted driving has always been an issue. From tape decks to smartphones, distractions are all around us. While you aren’t able to always prevent distractions from happening, you can learn how to manage them safely. Join Set Safety as we highlight some of the most common distractions you’re likely to encounter while driving, and give you some tips on how to manage them.
1. Mobile Phones
It can be difficult to ignore all the rings, dings and buzzes your phone gives off. To avoid temptation, turn off your phone or switch it to silent before you start driving. As the saying goes: out of sight, out of mind!
2. Secure Loose Items
Before you start driving, take a few minutes to store away or secure any loose items that could potentially roll around and annoy you during your drive. Reaching for items in the backseat or on the floor of your vehicle takes your eyes (and attention) away from the road and is a huge distraction. The same rule applies for children and pets. Make sure they are secured before leaving, and if they need your attention, pull off the road to a safe area before helping them.
3. Driving Drowsy
Driving while tired increases the risk of a crash by nearly four times. While it’s tempting to try and just get home quickly so you can hit the hay, you are putting yourself, your passengers and drivers around you in a great deal of danger. If you find yourself nodding off while behind the wheel, pull over immediately. Going for a quick walk, getting something to eat or taking a power nap are all ways to help wake you up before you get back behind the wheel.
4. Playing DJ
Fiddling with your radio or iPod can be a huge distraction. To make sure you have great, distraction-free music for your next road trip, create a playlist before you head out. That way you won’t feel the need to scroll through all your music looking for the next song.
5. Multitasking
Humans are limited in the amount of information they can process at any one time, which is why when you’re behind the wheel you should be devoting 100% of your attention to driving. Even though sitting in a traffic jam may seem like a good time to catch up on emails, it’s important to save your multitasking for when you’re out of the drivers seat. Your eyes (and attention) should be on the road and on the drivers around you so you are able to react accordingly. If a task is pressing, either do it before you get in the car or pull over to a safe area.
For more driving tips that will keep you and your family safe, check out Set Safety’s online defensive driving course!
