Distracted Driving Awareness
What’s the most dangerous type of behavior while driving? ….take a second to think about it. Well, distracted driving is the most dangerous type of behavior while on the road. 3,000 people are killed each year due to distracted driving. Since April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we wanted to take some time to address this issue since it directly affects your insurance premiums. If you happen to get a ticket or worse, into an accident, from distractions while driving your insurance rates will increase. Especially if you are found at fault. New Jersey is in the top 10 in the country for fatal crashes in the country from distracted driving. We hope to raise awareness so we can get these numbers down!
Distracted driving is defined as any action that takes your attention away from the road. There are 4 main types of distracted driving.
Auditory: This distraction is as it sounds (pun intended) and is defined as any sounds that take your attention away from the road. This can be loud music on the radio since it can reduce your hearing of the surroundings outside the vehicle and even talking on the phone when it’s on speaker.
Visual: Taking your eyes off the road for any amount of time is a visual distraction for any reason. Taking a second to look at a text, looking down to change the volume on the stereo, etc. are all visual distractions.
Manual: This is where you take your hands off of the wheel for any reason. It can be to get a drink of water or grab something out of the glove box.
Cognitive: This is a mental distraction. Daydreaming and using voice commands to guide your vehicle while driving are a few good examples.
Now that we’ve explained the types of distracted driving let’s talk about some ways to avoid it as best as possible.
If you’re a parent speak to your children about distracted driving and the dangers it poses. Emphasize that any message can wait until they’re parked. 44% of teen accidents that are caused by distracted driving end in a fatality according to Forbes.
Avoid eating while driving. It only takes about 10 minutes to pull over and eat something. Make sure you allow yourself time to eat before you get on the go.
Put your cell phone away. If it helps you stay focused, put it in do not disturb mode or driving mode. This is a big one for all of us and one of the hardest to abide by.
Limit the number of passengers in the car and the activity happening inside of it. Make sure it’s not rowdy in the vehicle. Sometimes that can be hard if you’re the DD after a fun night out but make sure to tell your passengers to keep it down and do your best to stay focused.
Make your adjustments before you get underway. Adjust your seat, your radio, etc. before you take off. It’s also important to take note of where everything is so that you don’t have to look for it while driving, such as the volume on the radio. This is very important when driving a vehicle that is not your own.
Be on the lookout for others who may be distracted while driving. Defensive driving is good practice in general but be on the lookout for people with phones to their ears, etc. They’re dangerous and you want to steer clear of them… we may have thrown in another intentional pun here ;) Could not help ourselves!
The point of driving is to get from point A to point B safely. Practicing good behaviors while on the road can ensure that you and your passengers get to your destination without disaster. We’re all guilty of one of these or another sometimes. The goal here is not perfection but becoming 1% better each day! Happy traveling!