Distracted-driving accidents are always preventable. Unfortunately, even with that piece of common knowledge, people refuse to pay attention to that fact. They feel like they are in control of their situation when they are driving, and that they don’t have to worry about the other people on the road doing anything unsafe, and that they are invulnerable. Those are famous last words before tragic accidents occur.
So it’s up to you to do everything possible to keep yourself distraction-free while you are driving. You need to put the cell phone way! You should set your GPS before you leave, so you aren’t playing with it on the road. You should check the fluids in your car regularly, so you aren’t distracted by any consequence of mechanical failures on the drive. And, if anyone is riding with you, you have to make it very clear that they are not to distract you from paying attention to the street.
Put Your Cell Phone Away
The leading cause of distracted driving accidents right now is people using their cell phones. Before cell phones, everyone still handled their communication needs quite fine. Thinking that you can text and drive or talk and drive is terrible, no matter which way you cut it. Even if there are statistics to show that nearly 7% of drivers text all of the time, it is not necessary for you to follow the trend too! If you have to communicate with someone during the time that you are journeying from one place to another, pull over to do it. It’s just not worth it to check your phone, because, in the few seconds that you are distracted, anything can happen on the road.
Set Your GPS Before You Leave
Another form of distraction that gets in people’s ways while they are driving is that they are setting their GPS coordinates as they are on the road. This is a terrible idea! You don’t need to be looking down at a GPS as you are driving. You need to keep your eyes on the road. Even when it comes to cars that have in-dash GPS systems installed, you should not be playing with those if you are going 70 miles an hour on an expressway. Set your GPS before you even leave your driveway.
Check Your Fluids Regularly
It can be very distracting if you have a mechanical failure while you’re driving. For example, if your windshield gets dirty, and you try and run your wiper blades, what happens when there is no fluid in there? Not only are you distracted by the fact that you can’t see through the dirty windshield, but you’re also distracted by the fact that now you have to figure out someplace to stop and get more. Bad or low oil causes distractions as well. Low transmission fluid can cause accidents at dangerous times. Maintaining your car fluid levels is vital to staying distraction-free while traveling.
Make Rules for the Road for Passengers
If you are the driver and there are passengers in your car, they need to respect the fact that you need to drive without distractions. You need to make rules for passengers such as no shouting, no throwing things, and no playing with the radio if it distracts you while you’re driving. It’s important even to give children rules of the road so that they understand that safety is more important than their bad behavior.
