5 of the Most Common Distracted Driving Causes
If you look at traffic statistics, you’ll quickly see a trend. More times than not, it’s not a vehicular problem that makes someone crash. That does happen occasionally, but human error plays a part much more frequently.
Because of this, some people look forward eagerly to the time when self-driving cars will be available. However, that’s probably still several years away, if not decades.
In the meantime, it’s up to each driver to behave in as safe of a manner as they can. Whenever you decide to get behind the wheel, you should know about distracted driving causes and do all that you can to avoid them.
Children
Before you start to think that maybe distracted driving is not as big of a deal as we are saying, consider this: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that distracted driving causes about 15% of crash injuries. That is not such an insignificant number.
You should also know that kids cause many car crashes. No doubt you love your little ones, as you should, but they might not have the best car habits. If you have more than one, and they’re on the younger side, they may like nothing more than to declare war on each other as soon as you settle them into the back seat.
If you turn around to scold your kids for hitting each other or other problem behaviors, you’re not watching the road ahead of you. Even if you only look at them through the rearview mirror without actually turning your head around, that’s still an issue.
All you can do is impress on your kids that they can never distract you when you’re driving. Depending on what age they are, you might need to threaten them with time-outs or grounding. If they are older, they should be able to understand better how dangerous stealing your attention is, even for a few seconds.
Smartphones
We all love our smartphones, and some people even show some addiction symptoms if they lose theirs or they can’t access them for a while. It’s also not impossible that you might need your smartphone as you are driving if you’re utilizing the Google Maps app to get to a place you have never visited before.
Other than that, there is no valid reason why you should use your smartphone or look at it while you’re driving. If you feel like it is going to tempt you sitting there on the seat, then turn it off and put it in your pocket, or else you might stow it in a purse or the glove compartment.
You should also acknowledge that even if your phone is on speaker, it can still distract you. Even if you’re not actively holding it in your hand while you drive, it’s still best if it’s out of sight.
The Radio
In the recent past, you might have had a tape deck or CD player to listen to music while in the car. You probably had the radio to listen to as well, but maybe it never came in with crystal-like clarity.
Now, you can use satellite radio to access more stations than you probably ever imagined. You can find hard rock, rap, jazz, country, or just about anything else you’d like, and it’s a single button-push away.
The only issue is that you might decide you don’t like that particular song, album, or podcast, and you want to switch things up. You might be shooting down the highway at seventy miles per hour at the time.
Try to never change the station while taking your eyes off the road, or at least wait until you get to a red light. It’s better if you can keep that same station until you’ve pulled over and put the vehicle in park, but a red light will do in a pinch.
Billboards
Many companies don’t advertise with billboards as much as they once did. They often prefer to use social media or a good old-fashioned TV commercial. Still, you will sometimes see billboards on the highway or in certain high-traffic areas.
One of them might grab your attention if it’s particularly thought-provoking or interesting. Maybe you’re hungry at that moment, and the image of a twenty-foot-tall steak pops up right next to you.
Make sure that if you are going to glance at it, keep most of your attention on the cars in front of you or around you. Even a slight concentration lapse is sometimes all that it takes to rear-end the car ahead of you if it stops suddenly.
Of course, it’s also helpful if you don’t tailgate. That way, you have more of a chance to stop if traffic patterns change.
Vanity License Plates or Bumper Stickers
Some drivers like to get vanity license plates. You might see some provocative ones or others that indicate something, but you’re not sure what the message means.
You’ll also see cars with either a couple of bumper stickers or maybe more than a couple. Some people seem like they bought a vehicle for no other reason than because they want to display their political beliefs or want the rest of the world to know what bands they like.
There’s nothing wrong with vanity license plates and bumper stickers, except they are literally there to get your attention and hold it for a few seconds. Those seconds might prove disastrous if you forget what you’re supposed to be doing: focusing on the road and other cars, cyclists, and pedestrians around you.
You can look at bumper stickers or license plates in your peripheral vision while staying focused on the business at hand. A clever license plate might be good for a chuckle, but it’s never worth a potentially costly accident.
If you can avoid these frequent distracted driving threats, you’ll likely get to where you’re going with no issues. You can be one of those drivers who makes the roadways safer for those around you.