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When you drive, it’s important to maintain your entire focus on the task at hand. Checking your text messages, surfing the internet, and dialing a phone number are types of distracted driving that can end up being deadly.
Many states also have laws against distracted driving to protect you and other commuters on the road. Being caught engaging in distracted driving can cost you a significant amount of money, if not worse.
What Is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving is defined as any task that takes your focus off of driving. All types of distracted driving can potentially lead to an accident, regardless of how big of a distraction the activity causes.
There are many different forms of distracted driving. Some you may be familiar with, and some may surprise you. The following section outlines various forms of distracted driving and why they can be dangerous.
Examples of Distracted Driving
The following list highlights different forms of distracted driving. They are in no particular order based on severity or risk.
Eating
Eating can be extremely dangerous while you’re attempting to maintain control of a vehicle. Taking your focus off of the road to do things like dip french fries, unwrap food paper, open bags, or even take a quick bite of a burger can all have deadly consequences.
Many states have outlawed eating while driving, and rightfully so. Getting caught while eating and driving in some states can net you a fine and points on your driving record.
Drinking
Even drinking a soda or coffee can be dangerous while you’re driving. It takes time to unscrew a cap or place a straw inside of a cup. The few seconds it takes to accomplish these things can lead to a major accident.
Texting
Texting is one of the most severe forms of distracted driving. The number of deaths while texting soared to incredible highs in the early 2000s. This led to every state in America outlawing texting and driving based on the deadly consequences.
Talking
Taking a second or two to answer the phone is deadly, as well. When you take your eyes off the vehicle in front of you for just a quick glance at your phone, you could potentially rear-end someone. Paying attention to a conversation also takes your focus off the normal duties of the road.
Turning On the Radio
Many people don’t think of this as distracted driving, but turning on the radio is a classic example. Switching the dial between stations is even worse, as this could take significant time to find the station you’re looking for.
Turning On the AC
It can be difficult to avoid turning on the AC, especially on a hot day. However, this should only be done when you are at a full and complete stop at a sign or traffic light.
Watching a Video
Many people are guilty of watching videos on their phones while driving. Sometimes it’s difficult not to do it, especially on long trips. Having all the information of the world at your fingertips can be tempting. However, you must focus on driving as safely as possible.
Why is distracted driving so dangerous, and what duties are neglected when you engage in this behavior?
What Makes Distracted Driving so Dangerous?
Take the following comparisons into consideration. It takes an average of five seconds to send or read a text message on your phone. This is five seconds that your eyes are not on the road. This is like driving the entire length of a football field with your eyes closed at 55 mph. Now, imagine how much damage can potentially be done at this speed for this length of time?
It’s impossible to drive safely unless your full attention is engaged in completing this task. Any activity that requires your attention is enough to make your driving dangerous enough to crash.
Even something as simple as rolling your window down can be considered distracted driving. Putting your seatbelt on while you’re driving also poses a significant risk and is considered distracted driving.
Consider anything that takes more than one second to accomplish as distracted driving. If it takes any longer than the length of time it requires to turn on your windshield wipers, it should be considered distracted driving.
If this doesn’t get your attention, here are some statistics regarding distracted driving.
Distracted Driving Statistics
There were 3,142 people killed in 2019 because of incidents of distracted driving. These are the incidents that authorities were able to prove. Who knows how many cases that had no witnesses or story attached to them involved distracted driving.
It was also reported that in 2019, distracted driving played a role in 8.5% of all fatal crashes on the road. Additionally, 42% of all high school students reported texting or talking on the phone while driving. Based on these statistics alone, a fair portion of the 42% of students will end up in a deadly driving situation at some point throughout their lives.
These statistics alone should be enough to awaken people to the dangers of distracted driving. What are some other ways you can spread the word about this deadly habit?
How to Prevent Distracted Driving
These are some of the best ways to prevent distracted driving based on various demographics.
Teens
Many times, teens can be the best people to convey a message to peers. Teens have a tendency to listen to other teens, especially regarding matters of importance like distracted driving. There seems to be a disconnect when it comes to teens and individuals of authority, so teens are encouraged to speak up when they see peers driving in a distracted manner.
An effective strategy can be to have teens ask friends to sign a pledge to not drive distracted. Additionally, they can ask them to participate in their local Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter. Sharing messages on social media to remind friends, family, or neighbors not to make deadly driving decisions can be very effective.
Using teenagers to become influencers can provide a substantial amount of impact among various age groups. It can also make the influencing teens feel like they are in a position to make a real difference in the lives of others.
Parents
Parents should lead by example before anything else. They should never drive distracted and show younger people that accomplishing this goal should be second nature. Having talks with younger people and their children about the responsibilities of driving safely can have a significant effect on the driving habits of others as well.
Parents talking to other parents may also be a wise idea. This is especially true of parents that are known to commute daily and have a tendency to rush.
Educators
Educators and employers should also play a critical role in educating others about distracted driving. Spreading the word at school and a place of employment can have wide-ranging benefits when it comes to getting the message across to large groups of people.
Technology
Modern phones can be set to detect when you are driving to remind you to keep your eyes on the road when you stray from your duties as a driver. Additionally, it may not be a bad idea to set your phone to “Do not disturb” while you are behind the wheel. This will completely eliminate the risk of taking your eyes off the road to field a phone call.
It’s important to engage in safe driving yourself, but it could be even more important to spread the message about refraining from this deadly activity. By simply speaking up, you could be saving a life just by sharing a few key facts.
