It’s Not Just Texting: Don’t Drive Distracted
Whether someone’s behind the wheel or crossing the street, anyone can be the victim of a car accident injury. When you’re in control of your vehicle, it’s up to you to stay alert, and drive without distraction. In recent years, the devil of distracted driving has been texting, and rightfully so. However, it’s not just phone addiction that’s driving up the numbers of car accident injury events every year.
Taking Care of Business
Before you even hop into the car, ship out text messages to anyone you may need to. That will cut out the desire to grab at your phone. Setting up your environment before you put the car into drive is crucial. You can eliminate all distractions by taking a few precautionary steps.
- Music Distraction
Most of us like to drive with some loud tunes, but this can actually be a big cause of distraction. Sing your heart out, but don’t flip through the stations, change CDs, or try to mess with Pandora on your phone while the car is in motion. That excludes red lights, as well. Find the right station or put on your iPod’s music before you back out of your parking space.
- Running Late
What’s going to run through your mind most while you’re running late for work or an event? Getting everything together to save a few precious seconds, so you can hop right out of the car when you park. Fishing around in the backseat, or even in the pile of belongings on the passenger seat can both be very distracting. Even if you keep your eyes on the road, you’re sacrificing proper vehicle control, and that’s a bad move.
- Grabbing a Bite
We’re all guilty of zipping through a drive-thru and eating while driving. In this crazy-fast world we live in, eating almost seems like an inconvenience. Even if your eyes are perfectly on the road, it’s easy to get distracted when a pickle falls onto your lap, or you’re trying to hold your food the right way. You’re sacrificing half of your control over the steering wheel. How many times can you recall being in full-control, and preventing an accident from happening by a hare’s breath?
Get yourself strapped-in and distraction-free right from the start. Even if you’re running late or your stomach’s grumbling, just remember that there’s a time and a place for everything. Your safety, and the safety of others, is always top priority when behind the wheel.
