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Texting and driving: 3 distractions in 1
One of the biggest safety issues facing us today is a distracted driver. Most of us (90%) drive to work. But did you know that the trip to work and home is the most dangerous part of your day. What makes it so dangerous – a distracted driver. When we talk about distracted drivers the distraction could be anything; kids in the back seat, a cheeseburger and soda, a billboard. Much of the time the distraction involves a cell phone. When it’s ringing we answer it. When it beeps we look at it. We even look at it when it’s quiet to see why we haven’t received a text or email. What’s the danger of glancing at your phone for a few seconds? You can’t predict what’s going to happen when your eyes are off the road. Traffic could stop, or you might veer into someone walking or riding a bike. You could hit a snowplow clearing the shoulder of I-81 (this really happened.) When it comes to distracted driving, texting and driving is one of the biggest dangers on the road. It’s a manual (hands off the wheel), visual (eyes off the road), and cognitive (your mind off the task of driving) distraction. So, when your eyes are off the road and you are holding that cell phone, texting a reply, you’re not thinking about the road, traffic, stop signs or your speed. In other words, your dangerous and driving in this manner could injure or kill another driver. Now, think about all the distracted drivers you see on the road. You don’t need to make a major behavior change – really. Just put the phone down or turn it off. That’s the answer. Sometimes it’s a hard habit to break. Just remember, it’s a habit that could be deadly.