Distracted driving is when you engage in anything which sways away your attention from what is happening on the road. Some of these things include fiddling with the stereo, talking to other car occupants, playing with the vehicle’s navigation system, and doing anything else which may take away your attention from the important chore of safe driving. To deal with distracted driving properly, you have to start by getting world class driving instructions from the best driving school near you.
Texting is a serious distraction
In Australia and the world over, texting is regarded to be the most distracting activity for drivers since it takes away your eyes for about 5 seconds. At an average speed of 55mph, five seconds is enough to drive on a road that is equivalent to a soccer pitch with your eyes closed.
The only way for anyone to serve safely is to be fully attentive, and without this, you are most likely to crash. Remember that driving is a highly demanding task cognitively and puts lots of demands on the driver. If you get distracted, your security and that of other road users are compromised.
By becoming less observant through being distracted while driving, you will not be able to make the necessary decisions on the things that happen on the road. You will be engaging in low-quality driving, and this will make it harder to anticipate dangers and other hazards that could cause danger while you are on the roads.
Ideas to help you avoid distracted driving
The following tips should help you to avoid distracted driving.
- Limit cellphone use to emergencies only
A cell phone causes a serious distraction and should only be used for emergency purposes. Anytime you need to make a phone call, it’s better to pull over safely before you call. There are many instances where even using hands-free devices may make you miss some audio and visual cues, which are highly necessary to avoid a crash. Remember that in some jurisdictions, driving while making a phone call could make you fined and ticketed.
- Don’t drive while intoxicated
Drowsiness and intoxication are dangerous and you should never drive while in that state. If you feel some level of intoxication, it is better that you pull off the road and get some minutes of rest, don’t just try to speed to get home faster.
- Minimize activity inside your vehicle
Some people party while inside a moving car. This is dangerous and should never be entertained because the driver will never be able to fully concentrate on what is happening on the road. Remember that when there are many people, who are engaged in certain activities inside a car, the amount of distraction that you undergo is immense. This can even be worse for beginner drivers because they will mostly concentrate on their friends and not the road.
- Never multi-tasking
If you have to multi-task, that should be limited to outside your car. Never think that it’s safe to get some things done while driving. Never call friends, start searching for music or send out text messages. Just try to focus on what is happening on the road.
