How Do Distractions Affect One’s Driving?
How do distractions affect one’s driving?
There are many factors which can distract a driver on the road.
Distracted driving can occur any time a driver's attention is taken away from where they should be focusing their concentration - the driving task. There are many different types of distractions, both inside and outside the car. A physical distraction causes you to take your hands off the wheel, such as eating a sandwich. A mental distraction takes your mind away from the road, such as speaking with a passenger. Mental distractions may be more difficult to identify, as we often take discussions with passengers to be a “normal” part of driving. “Driver distractions include cell phones, eating, drinking, changing a CD, fiddling with radio dials, talking to a passenger, experiencing emotional distress, minding children, personal grooming, looking at billboards or even other vehicles on the road”
(CAA, 2012). A lot can happen when a driver is distracted. For example, there is a significant increase in driving with no hands on the wheel, not watching the road, sudden braking and wandering into other lanes which can result in lack of focus on the road, increase the chances of collisions and a hazard to pedestrians, yourself and other road users.
I personally witnessed drivers on an everyday basis being distracted while driving on the road. For example, many would be texting or making a phone call, some will be looking somewhere else instead of focusing on the road ahead, and eating or drinking while one hand is on the steering wheel.
All of these bad habits are unsafe and could be dangerous and contribute to why we have so many unnecessary accidents on the road
All road user s especially new young drivers should practice safe driving by looking ahead and being aware of your surroundings. By identifying distractions and not allowing them to adversely affect the driving task are vital to collision
There are many factors which can distract a driver on the road.
Distracted driving can occur any time a driver's attention is taken away from where they should be focusing their concentration - the driving task. There are many different types of distractions, both inside and outside the car. A physical distraction causes you to take your hands off the wheel, such as eating a sandwich. A mental distraction takes your mind away from the road, such as speaking with a passenger. Mental distractions may be more difficult to identify, as we often take discussions with passengers to be a “normal” part of driving. “Driver distractions include cell phones, eating, drinking, changing a CD, fiddling with radio dials, talking to a passenger, experiencing emotional distress, minding children, personal grooming, looking at billboards or even other vehicles on the road”
(CAA, 2012). A lot can happen when a driver is distracted. For example, there is a significant increase in driving with no hands on the wheel, not watching the road, sudden braking and wandering into other lanes which can result in lack of focus on the road, increase the chances of collisions and a hazard to pedestrians, yourself and other road users.
I personally witnessed drivers on an everyday basis being distracted while driving on the road. For example, many would be texting or making a phone call, some will be looking somewhere else instead of focusing on the road ahead, and eating or drinking while one hand is on the steering wheel.
All of these bad habits are unsafe and could be dangerous and contribute to why we have so many unnecessary accidents on the road
All road user s especially new young drivers should practice safe driving by looking ahead and being aware of your surroundings. By identifying distractions and not allowing them to adversely affect the driving task are vital to collision