Driving With Distractions

Driving is a privilege and should be taken seriously. Most adults have become very comfortable with multitasking while driving – a little too comfortable. When you are not focused solely on driving, you become part of the “one million national car crashes annually”, reported on sites like Distracted Driving. The question we need answered is:  what has people so preoccupied that they’re no longer concentrating on the road while driving?

Let’s take another look at Distracted Driving. Here, we find the top five things that people are doing that sidetrack the mind, likely producing a dangerous situation to not only themselves, but those around them. The most frustrating one to read, “Female drivers who get on the road in a hurry often bring their makeup with them”. Do this many females really apply their makeup while behind the wheel? This fact is in the top five most dangerous driving distractions? I’m seriously appalled by it.

There are always news stories about crashes that were the results of texting and driving.  You hear commercials on your radio talking about the dangers of texting and driving, yet people still do it. Parents, Huffington Post has a list of the top ten dangers of texting and driving and some of the information on this list might scare the you-know-what out of you.  For instance, are you aware that an estimated 40 percent of teens “say they have been a passenger in a car whose driver used a cellphone in a way that put them in danger” or the fact that “using a cell phone while driving multiplies the risk of being in a crash by four times”? It wouldn’t surprise me if those numbers haven’t increased since the author posted this list back in July of 2015.

Safe Start has also listed 10 main distractions of drivers. These range from “adjusting audio or climate controls” to “moving objects” and “cell phone use”. The most alarming statistic on Safe Start’s list is that “62% of driving fatalities are caused by a driver’s mind wandering for long enough to lead to a collision – and someone’s death”.  Imagine, your daydreaming could turn into a nightmare.

As drivers, we have to be willing to understand the dangers that driving brings along with it, especially when it comes to distraction. We also need to educate ourselves about what we can do to ensure the safety of ourselves and each other. Crutchfield offers some advice to keep in mind while driving. Such as, “when you grab food on the go, take ten minutes to park and eat” or “if you feel like your mind is wandering…pull off the road…take breaks to rest your eyes”.

The only person you can control behind the wheel of a car is yourself.  Make good decisions, take no chances with your own life or anyone else's. Be consciously aware of your surroundings and get to where you're going safe and sound.