April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to the CDC, 9 people are killed and 1,000 are injured EVERY DAY in crashes involving a distracted driver. It’s clearly an important issue.
There’s so many advertising campaigns against texting and driving that that’s frequently the first thing to come to mind. But that’s not the only type of distracted driving there is. So let’s talk about the different types and how you can take action to prevent it.
Types of distracted driving
There are three different categories of distractions that can happen while you are driving:
Visual: Takes your eyes away from the road. If you take your eyes off the road for just 5 seconds, you’ve driven the length of a football field without looking at the road.
Manual: Takes your hand(s) off the steering wheel. It limits your control of your vehicle and restricts your ability to react if something suddenly changes.
Cognitive: Takes your mind off the act of driving. It slows your reaction time and increases the likelihood of you not noticing something (such as a small child darting in front of your car).
Using phones while driving
Texting while driving
Texting while driving hits all three categories of distraction: visual (you take your eyes off the road to look at your phone), manual (you take at least one hand off the wheel to navigate your phone and type), and cognitive (you take your mind off driving to navigate your phone and formulate your text). Anti-distracted driving campaigns often focus on texting and driving because it’s so dangerous.
Talking on phone while driving
Yes, talking on the phone is a distraction. It’s a cognitive distraction, and also a manual distraction unless you have a hands-free headset. A lot of people think driving is a great time to make phone calls, but it’s safer to wait until you’re out of the car.
Using navigational systems while driving
Navigational systems (whether on your phone or on a separate GPS device) can cause visual and manual distraction. Make sure you set up your navigational system before you leave to avoid trying to program it while driving. If possible, bring a co-pilot who can watch the screen for you and help eliminate the visual distraction, too.
Eating while driving
Eating while driving is a manual distraction – you have to take your hands off the wheel to hold your food – and often a visual one when you take your eyes off the road to look at your food. The messier the food, the more of a distraction it is. It’s much safer to pull off the road while you eat.
Listening to loud music while driving
Yes, loud music counts as a distraction, too. It can take your mind off driving (cognitive distraction), plus it limits your ability to hear sounds your car might make, other cars’ horns, and emergency sirens that could alert you to dangerous situations.
Preventing distracted driving
Phones are the most common distraction. If you can’t stay off your phone while you’re driving, put it in the backseat where you can’t reach it until you get where you’re going. And any time you need to use your hands or eyes for something – like eating, dealing with a navigation system, or looking for something in your glove box – pull off the road to do it.
Drivers under age 20 are most at risk for distracted driving. If you’re a parent or someone with influence over teenagers, you can do a lot to prevent distracted driving. Lead by example – don’t drive distracted yourself. Talk with your teens about the responsibilities of driving and the dangers of driving distracted. Consider putting together a distraction-free driving pledge and encouraging them to sign it (and sign it yourself). Parents can encourage teens to speak up if they see their friends driving distracted, and employers can create a company policy against distracted driving.
Distracted driving is a big issue with dangerous, often deadly consequences. But we can work to prevent it and reduce the number of deaths and injuries that come from distracted driving.
