You have probably seen the term distracted driving in newspaper reports of car crashes. Yet, you might still be unsure what the term covers.
Most people know that cell phone use qualifies as distracted driving, but there are many more things you might not have thought about — some of which you may do yourself.
Most drivers are distracted at some point in their journey
To drive safely, you need to give your full attention to the road and keep two hands on the wheel so you can react in an emergency. Therefore, anything that prevents you from doing one of these things is a form of distracted driving. Here are a few things that could distract you:
- Your passengers: We tend to turn our heads to look at who we are talking to. It becomes more of a stretch if the person is in the rear, yet this is where kids travel, and they can demand your attention.
- Your in-car electrics: Some cars have controls that allow you to change the radio or music with your hands on the wheel. Yet most still require you to look away from the road and take a hand off the wheel to change things.
- Food and drink: If you drive to work each morning, you have probably become adept at balancing a coffee in one hand while steering with the other. Yet, this makes it harder to react quickly.
Those are just a few things that can distract you while driving, and you can probably think of more. The chances are, you have probably done some of these things while driving. Most people do. Therefore if another driver crashes into you, consider what they might have been doing that caused them not to see you. What could have distracted their attention? Just because everyone does it does not make a driver any less responsible if they crash into you and injure you while distracted.