Practicing Safe Driving
There are so many distractions that arise while you’re driving, and it seems easy to just start multi-tasking, especially when you’re in traffic and it feels like you’re at a stand still for long chunks of time. Though it seems harmless to do other things while you’re waiting, you should resist the urge and focus solely on operating your vehicle.
Talking on your cell phone has become so popular that you can’t go five minutes without seeing another driver yakking away on their phone. The problem has become so bad that many states are taking action and making it illegal to talk on your phone while operating a vehicle.
There are some people who think the law is pointless and don’t see any harm in talking while driving. The problem isn’t the actual talking, but the fact that you need one hand to hold the phone to your ear and only one hand is on the steering wheel.
There are a lot of people who drive with one hand anyways, but the difference is that when you have a phone you’re holding something that your attention is focused on and your reaction time is greatly increased, making it more dangerous when going at speeds that could be lethal.
Hands-free devices like blue-tooth allow people to talk on the phone while still allowing both of their hands to be free to control the vehicle and react to any sudden stops or movements. More and more people are turning to blue-tooth because of its easy use; but it is most useful when it allows you to be safe on the road–and this way you can still multi-task on the road.
Another growing problem, especially among teenagers, is texting while driving. This is far worse than just talking on the phone, because your eyes are actually on the screen of your phone and not on the road.
Many texters also use both of their hands to text, allowing for only the use of their forearms or knees to steer the car. This is extremely dangerous for not only you, but the other drivers whose lane you’re veering into.
If you work in a big city, the odds are you take the freeway to get to work; and I bet you’ve seen someone in a car next to you trying to put their clothes or make-up on. Changing your clothes not requires the use of your hands, but your legs too.
You need all of your limbs to drive a vehicle, especially if you have a manual transmission where you have to steer, shift gears, put on the gas, and push on the clutch all at the same time. You should not change your clothes while driving; it’s reckless and don’t think that other drivers don’t
In general, women are better than men at multi-tasking; but this doesn’t mean that they should multi-task while driving, especially since (in general) women are worse drivers than men. Putting on make-up while driving takes your hands off of the steering wheel and off of the road. Instead you’re holding your lipstick, and looking in your rear-view mirror, which prevents you from even glancing at the road in front of you.
Women aren’t the only ones grooming in their car, however, many men use their time in the car to shave with their portable electric shaver. This is dangerous not only because of the attention you’re giving the task that isn’t driving, but an abrupt stop could shove those tiny vibrating blades right into your throat. Yes, that does sound very painful.
All of these dangerous habits seem aimed at just business people, but the truth is, even soccer moms have their bad driving habits. Anyone with kids knows that driving even across town is a big ordeal, and the kids in the back seat will fight. Parents, don’t try to reach back and hit your kids while driving. It’s dangerous and hitting them just isn’t worth it when you’re risking rear-ending the person in front of you.
Tom Selwick is a public safety representative for 25 years and has authored hundreds of articles relating to public safety and traffic signs. He has worked in public safety for years promoting safe transportation practices.
Contact Info:
Tom Selwick
TomSelwick09@gmail.com
http://www.interwestsafety.com
