Distracted Driving

by Ronel Forbes

April 27, 2023

Did you realize that over 10,000 people every year lose their lives to distracted driving? Being cautious of distracted driving is possible if you are aware of what it is.

So that everyone can take precautions to make driving safer, everyone should be aware of what distracted driving is and what causes it. We gathered facts concerning distracted driving to help you understand more:

What is distracted driving?

Any activity that is unrelated to driving while seated behind the wheel is considered distracted driving. There are three basic types of distracted driving that might raise your accident risk and eventually decrease your safety.

Manual

Manual distracted driving is the first category. Any task that requires you to take your hands off the steering wheel, such as texting or in-car searching, falls under this category.

Cognitive

Cognitive is the second type. Every time you turn your attention away from driving, you are cognitively distracted. This may happen when you allow your thoughts to wander to your job or even your house.

Visual

Visual distraction while driving is the final category. Every time your eyes are off the road, you are visually distracted. This can be as basic as glancing at a house while driving or even stopping to look at accidents as you pass by them.

Even if you consider yourself the world’s safest driver, you most definitely experienced the effects of distracted driving at some point, either by yourself or another person. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone gets distracted when driving occasionally. However, you have full choice over how distracted you let yourself become.

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What Is the Risk of Distracted Driving?

We can learn some information on distracted driving from the Land Transportation Office. According to their 2019 study on driving distractions, texting increased the probability of fatal accidents by a factor of 23.2. compared to a driver who is not distracted.

Following this study, cities enhanced their road safety. Since 2021, 4different cities, have outlawed texting and driving. Nine people are killed by distracted driving every single day. Every day, these mishaps cause hundreds of injuries.

An updated study on distracted driving was published in 2021 by the Land Transportation Office. According to this study, using a phone while driving makes people less attentive. Examples include picking up the phone, texting, or speaking on the speakerphone.

These statistics demonstrate the dangers of inattentive driving. Driving when distracted could be significantly riskier than driving while intoxicated.

Facts About Distracted Driving That Everybody Should Know

We’re here to provide you with some data so you can gain a deeper understanding of how risky distracted driving is. You can try your best not to get distracted while driving the next time by using these facts to help you view the wider picture.

Vehicle Accident Deaths Are Consistently Increasing

According to certain reports, the number of people dying in auto accidents is rising. This is due to the numerous distractions that drivers experience every day.

We struggle to fully focus on the road when we are in the automobile since there are so many distractions. These activities include seeing your touch screen or GPS as well as listening to music or podcasts.

This can make it equally as difficult to pay attention to the road in front of you when there are distractions outside the automobile. These are additional activities that can keep you from driving and put you and others at risk. They range from attempting to decide which turn to make to navigating construction zones.

Multitasking Is a Lie

The risky distraction of multitasking might result in accidents. Multitasking makes it challenging to concentrate on each activity because research indicates that the brain can only focus on one thing at a time. Driving while distracted by texting reduces reaction time, hinders problem-solving, and even puts lives in danger.

Teenagers Are More Likely to Be in Accidents

Teenagers who are preoccupied while driving at a higher chance of being in fatal collisions. Teenagers who drive while distracted have a crash rate that is three times higher than that of adults (20 and older).

This indicates that kids who text and drive are more likely to be involved in an accident and for it to be fatal. Teenagers have less driving experience than adults, and they are more likely to act recklessly. Young people still have the same sense of invincibility as they did when they were younger.

Your brain must have some time to register your surroundings.

Did you know it takes your brain some time to refocus while you are driving while distracted? You try to bring your attention back to the road when you become aware of it. Your brain needs about 13 seconds to regain concentration.

It will therefore take your brain 13 seconds to refocus on the road you are driving on if you pick up your smartphone to check a notification and put it down again. Some people find this statistic surprising because they believe that your brain instantly recognizes and concentrates on the task you want it to.

Your driving abilities aren’t up to par because it takes your brain a while to refocus on the road. This is necessary for your body to re-calibrate and recognize that it is performing a different action from a few seconds earlier.

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Eating is distraction

This is due to the fact that eating while driving can be messy and divert your focus from the road, making it more risky than texting and driving. Minor accidents or even more major and fatal collisions may result from this. It is crucial to speak with an insurance specialist to make sure your family is protected.

How Can Distracted Driving Be Eliminated?

Stopping distracted driving is the best method to help save lives on the road and lower the number of car accidents. It may seem more difficult than it is. Together, if we can all reduce our distracted driving, we can both save our own lives and those of others.

Start by making an effort to refrain from multitasking while operating a vehicle even if it’s traffic. At all times, pay attention to driving and the road.
Put the phone away, and keep it there until you get there. By doing this, you may prevent your brain from multitasking and maintain constant road focus.
Before leaving the house, organize yourself. Get everything you need in front of you, organize the car, and put distractions in the back.

Conclusion

We have described the basics of distracted driving. Even the top statistics of distracted driving have been discussed, such as the debunking of the idea of multitasking and the importance of not eating while driving.

Obtain motor car insurance so that you can take preventative precautions in the event of unforeseen circumstances while driving.