Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is the practice of driving a motor vehicle while engaged in another activity, typically one that involves the use of a mobile phone or other electronic device. And the use of cell phones and other electronic devices while driving has received the bulk of the distracted driving campaigns attention.

The laundry list of activities that account for distracted driving is exhaustive.

• Eating
• Driving
• Reaching for something in the car
• Tuning the radio
• Shaving
• Putting on makeup
• Billboards along the roadway
• Actions of other road users
• And so on, and so on

"The Automobile Association of America (AAA) now says that distracted driving accounts for 25 to 50 percent of all accident. The discrepancy in that statistic is alarming. It could be ¼ of all crashes, or it could be ½ of all crashes that are caused by distractions.

In the overall marketing campaign, it’s more finger pointing. The campaigns simply move to blame drivers. And blaming drivers is NOT going to reduce the incidences of distracted driving.

As traffic safety authorities we must give drivers skills and abilities to effectively deal safely with the task of driving when they’re distracted.

Because human beings are simply not designed to focus 100% on the task of driving when behind the wheel of a car. Not only has social media and other sources created ingenious ways to get our attention, but as human beings we can only concentrate on a task for no more than 20 minutes before needing a break.

If you’re going to search for a new radio station, you’re looking for another podcast, or you’re reaching for the bottle of water in the back seat, make sure that you have lots of space around your vehicle. Be sure that you’re the only vehicle on the roadway. Have situational awareness for other cars, vehicles and road users before you allow your attention to wane from the task of driving.