The Dangers of Distracted Driving

The Dangers of Distracted Driving

By now you know that talking on the phone while driving is a bad idea, but there’s more than one way to keep your eyes off the road!

1. Socializing:
Having two or more peer passengers more than triples the risk of a total crash when there’s a teen behind the wheel.

• The Solution: Know when you’re being distracted and don’t be afraid to speak up. If they are your friend, they will respect you and quiet down. If they aren’t your friend feel free to kick them out.

2. Listening:
Music itself may soothe the savage beast, but constantly fiddling with the knobs can be a death sentence. According to a National Safety Council report, adjusting the stereo knobs accounted for 11.4% of all driver distractions. whether it’s one ear bud or two, headphones are a major distraction.

• The Solution: Establish a playlist that you like beforehand and that’s that.

3. Navigating:
Handy GPS gizmos may be more distracting than you think. Britain’s Privilege insurance found that 19% of drivers were distracted when using GPS devices.

• The Solution: GPS is a handy tool, but relying on it 100% can be dangerous. You should have a good idea where you’re going before you head out.

4. Eating:
49% of all drivers consider eating or drinking to be a distraction.

• The Solution: If you must eat, eat something that you don’t need both hands for. French fries are better than a carne asada burito.

5. Smoking:
It may seem like second nature, but a 5-year study found that smoking was a factor in 9% of all distracted crashes.

• The Solution: If you are that much of a smoker, invest in nicotine gum or lozenges, or use a patch while driving or you know, just quit.

6. Texting:
In 2011, 10% of all injury crashes were reportedly affected by distraction.

• The Solution: Ideally you should just turn off your phone, but if you can’t bring yourself to do that, at least install text blockers or use Siri.

7. Pet Distractions:
Having a pet in the car can be more of a distraction than you think. The AAA says that taking your eyes off the road for just 2 seconds actually doubles the chances of getting into an accident.

• The Solution: You may think you’re doing your pet a favor, but too much attention away from the road and you’ll make things much worse – for both of you

8. Sleeping:
Drowsy  driving is responsible for more than 100,000 crashes each year. It’s likely responsible for many more accidents that go unreported.

• The Solution: You can do one of these things: plan ahead and get enough sleep, start crushing energy drinks, or pull over to take a quick nap. Better to drive late than not to drive at all