When most people think of distracted driving, they go straight to cellphones. While ignoring your cellphone is a good first step, your car is full of dangerous distractions. Distracted driving is anything that causes you to take your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel or your mental focus away from your surroundings. With that in mind, here are some tips for preventing distractions in your car.
Put Your Cellphone Away
Putting your cellphone on “do not disturb” is one of the best things you can do to avoid distracted driving. When you use your cellphone, you are taking your hands off the wheel, your eyes off the road, and your focus off the car ahead of you.
Studies show that hands-free texting is just as dangerous as picking up the phone because dictating consumes your mental focus.
Secure Loose Items
You’re heading home after a long day of work, and you notice your coffee cup rolling around. There’s a little coffee leaking out. You don’t want any stains on the upholstery, so you instinctively reach for the cup. What you don’t realize is that you’re swerving just as the cars in front of you are hitting the brakes.
Taking a moment to secure loose items before you start moving can save a lot of grief. It can be stressful to watch something fragile or leaky roll around during your drive. When you take the time to put your belongings somewhere safe, (on the floor or in the backseat) you won’t be tempted to reach for that rolling item.
Turn the Volume Down
It may sound extreme, but reducing noise is a crucial element of focused driving. When the music is too loud, or you’re worried about noisy kids in the backseat, you lose your mental focus on the road. You are much more likely to cause an accident when faced with a cognitive distraction or when you’re looking over your shoulder to see what’s causing the ruckus.
If you were injured in an auto accident caused by distracted driving, you might have a case. If you’d like to schedule a free case evaluation with an auto injury attorney from McGee, Lerer & Associates, please give us a call at (310) 231-9717 or send us an email at your earliest convenience.