With all the discussion in the metro Atlanta news about texting while driving as a cause of car accidents, maybe it's time to step back and review exactly what distracted driving is. There are three types of distractions which make up distracted driving as defined by the U.S. Department of Transportation: 1) taking your eyes off the road; 2) taking your hands off the wheel; and 3) taking your mind off driving. In other words, any activity that requires a driver to remove his attention from driving will increase his risk of a car accident. According to the Virginia Tech Traffic Institute study for the National Highway Safety Administration 80% of all car wrecks are directly related to distracted driving.
While all the news has been on texting, other activities that interrupt a driver include dialing a cell phone, talking on a cell phone or with a passenger, reading or replying to email, eating and drinking, trying to read maps or navigation systems, changing the radio station or music selection on an i-pod, drowsiness and reaching to the floor to find something that has been dropped.
Just this week on the way to work, I passed a gentleman who was reading the newspaper on Georgia 400 heading into Atlanta! Maybe he has no concerns about causing an accident, but I don't want to be the car next to him when he veers over into another lane.
What can be done to educate drivers about the impact of a few seconds of distraction? The DOT has launched a website specifically to educate, publicize and gather information related to distracted driving. Valid suggestions to curb distractions while driving include setting the cell phone on mute so you won't be tempted to answer or see who is calling, driving defensively and being aware of drivers who appear to be talking or texting, and remembering it isn't just your life when you remove your focus from driving, it may be someone else's life you interrupt.
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