Distracted driving is a huge cause of death on roadways in the world. Being distracted while driving can put your life and others lives at risk. You can be distracted by being intoxicated, texting or putting makeup on which is a manual distraction,
What is distracted driving?
The act of driving while engaging in other activities which distract the driver’s attention away from the road. Distractions are shown to compromise the safety of the driver, passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles.
The 3 types of distractions while driving
Visual – Visual distractions are those where you focus your eyes away from the road.
Ex:reading a text or notification, attention on others
Manual – Manual distractions are those where you move your hands from the wheel.
Ex: Texting,Makeup, Eating or drinking
Cognitive – A cognitive distraction is when your mind wanders away from the task of driving.
Ex: tired, upset, zoned out
Top causes of distracted driving
Intoxicated
affected by alcohol or drugs especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished especially
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to advocate for stronger laws against intoxicated driving and to offer support to victims and survivors of drunk driving.
Texting
is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages, email, or making similar use of the web on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle
more than 800,000 drivers are using handheld devices at any one moment throughout the day
nearly 6,000 people a year are killed in accidents related to cell phone use while driving
Drowsy Driving
Drowsy driving is the dangerous combination of driving and sleepiness or fatigue
Fatigue can have causes that aren’t due to underlying disease. Examples include lack of sleep, heavy exertion, jetlag, a large meal, or aging.
Conclusion — lets minimize distracted driving. Do Not multitask while driving. Drivers should only be doing one thing while on the road and that is Drive!! Keep eyes on the road, in case of an emergency pull over until you can drive to your destination with no distractions.
