Distracted Driving: The New Scourge Causing So Many Fatal Collisions

If you look at car crash stats across a state, country, or period, you will likely notice some trends. Those trends might vary depending on various factors, but if you look at car wrecks in America over the past couple of decades, you will likely notice a similarity. Many accidents have an element that leads police and other investigators to say distracted driving played a part in what happened.

Distracted driving cases can permanently change your life, and not for the better. We’ll discuss them in detail in the following article.

What Does Distracted Driving Mean?

Let’s start by defining the term distracted driving so you know just what we mean when we use it. Distracted driving means there’s a situation with a driver who lets something distract them when they should focus on the road ahead of them and the traffic conditions around them. Many things can distract a driver.

When this happens, you might not stop in time if a car slams on its brakes ahead of you. You may not see a pedestrian crossing the road in front of your vehicle. You might not see a cyclist who’s riding along close to you or a dog that’s not on a leash.

If you let something distract you, hitting another vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, or someone’s pet becomes much more likely. You can damage your car, injure someone, or even kill them, and all because you let something take away your attention for just a couple of seconds.

Some Common Distractions

If you look at official car accident reports that feature distracted driving, you might also notice that the same things seem to distract drivers again and again. Smartphones usually top that list.

No one can deny smartphones have their uses. Parents keep getting them for their kids at younger ages because the children can then call their parents if they encounter an emergency situation and need help. However, you should know not to look at your smartphone while driving. Getting a text message and looking at it or using an app will often cause a distracted driving accident.

The large built-in screens that come with new cars often cause distracted driving accidents as well. That’s ironic since these screens should display useful information that helps a driver, such as showing them the route to where they’re going.

If you have a smartphone with you when you’re driving, keep it in your pocket or turn it off entirely if you think that it might distract you. If you’re using the navigation on your car’s built-in screen, you can glance at it using your peripheral vision, but only do so if you’re sure you’re not taking your vision entirely off the road. You can also use the auditory directions that tell you where you should go instead of looking at the screen.

Other Distractions

The other individuals in the car with you might distract you. For instance, your kids in the backseat might distract you if they’re yelling at each other, singing, kicking the back of the seat, or otherwise acting rambunctious.

You must tell your kids not to distract you while you’re driving. If you have very young children who don’t understand the gravity of distracting the driver, maybe you’ll give them a toy or something else to occupy them when you must drive them somewhere.

If there’s someone sitting in the passenger seat, they might distract you as well. You can talk to someone in the passenger’s seat, but look at them with your peripheral vision if you must look at them at all. Don’t glance completely over at them and take your eyes off the road.

If you’re having an animated discussion or even an argument with someone in the passenger’s seat, that can distract you. If you find a conversation gets too intense, table it for the moment and tell your passenger you can continue talking about that topic at a later time. They should understand that you’re keeping you both safe, and hopefully, they won’t press the issue.

What Else Might Distract You?

If you get some food at a drive-through, that might distract you. Your Big Mac might smell great, but biting into it when you’re driving can cause a disaster. Wait till you get where you’re going before eating or drinking.

You might notice a billboard while you’re driving on the highway or a funny ad on a bus stop bench. If you’ve stopped at a red light, you might glance over at an ad or billboard, but keep most of your attention on the light ahead of you. You don’t want to be the inconsiderate driver still sitting there and holding up traffic behind you after the light turns green.

The radio or your satellite music service might distract you. You may try to find a song you like or change to a different station while driving. Doing so can cause an accident, so only change the music or turn it on when you’ve stopped at a red light or when you get a chance to pull over and put the vehicle in park.

If you prioritize driving and nothing else when you’re behind the wheel, you can often prevent catastrophic accidents. Every time you drive, remember that you’re in charge of a multiple-ton vehicle that can become a weapon at any moment.

Being responsible involves making many tiny decisions with every trip you take. Letting something distract you always stands out as the wrong decision, and it can be the one that costs someone their life if you’re not careful.

You should also tell your teens this when they get ready to test for their licenses. Giving them an example to follow should always be on your mind when you drive them somewhere. If they see you letting things distract you when you’re driving, they will likely do the same thing. Kids often emulate their parents more than you may realize.