Distracted driving has been plaguing drivers since time immemorial. It's easy to put into words just how dangerous it is but it never has quite the impact enough to make some drivers change for the better- hopefully some figures such as these might help convince everyone.
First- let's talk about the importance of recognizing what exactly is distracted driving.
Now what constitutes distracted driving? Anything that keeps your eyes off the road counts as distracted driving. Looking back, looking sideways and not forward, taking your hands off the wheel, that counts as distracted driving. And it doesn't matter even if you do it just for a second- remember, accidents can happen in a split second and can cost you so much money at best, and at worst, your life.
It doesn't matter whether you've got a like on social media, or you've got a call from your phone in the glove compartment; whenever you take your eyes and one of your hands off the road, you're driving distracted and you're at risk.
Next time it happens, make sure to park for a bit whenever possible, and attend to your business while you're not driving.
But it doesn't just happen inside the car- some factors outside your vehicle might take your eyes off the front of you car, leaving you driving by your peripheral vision; that too, is distracted driving.
If you've caught yourself once or twice, maybe its time to make a change and drive a little bit safer!
Without further ado, here are some of the most important figures related to distracted driving that will hopefully encourage you to drive safer next time:
To make sure that you're driving safe, there are some precautions that you can take:
1. Set your phone down. Better yet, set it on a car phone holder. You won't have to fiddle with it when its secure on a phone holder, and you're driving with both hands on the wheel.
2. Keep both hands on the wheel at all times. It's tempting to do so otherwise, but build the habit. In a week, you should be driving safer and you'll feel odd driving without two hands on the wheel.
3. Get a dual dash cam, or any other dash cam to capture how you're driving. A focused driver will definitely driver better than one that's distracted; you'll also be able to see some close brushes that can be quite scary when you review the video feed.
If you can get a dual dash cam that records both in and out (which is available here at Elinz), then all the better- scare yourself straight with how bad your driving is, safety-wise.
Keep safe out there!