Dealing with Road Distractions
Do you multitask while driving? Multitasking can cause you to look away from the road, not pay attention to your speed and potentially cause a collision. Multitasking might include chatting with friends, changing music or eating while driving. The following are distractions you may encounter in day to day driving and methods to deal with them effectively.
Talking with Passengers – All of us enjoy a good conversation while driving, however chatting while driving can become a distraction when it involves teasing, back-seat drivers or kids fighting and screaming or even kicking the back of the seat. If you are dealing with adults, it is okay to tell them to be quiet while you are behind the wheel. For children, you will need to change their behavior through rewarding good behavior. You can award them with good behavior points that add up to a prize such as a sticker. Be specific about what good behavior means such as wearing their seatbelts, not yelling and no hitting.
Music Scrolling – There’s nothing like playing your favorite song on a road trip, but the time it takes for you to look away from the road to change the radio station or change out a CD is enough time for an accident to happen. To prevent this, program your favorite stations into the presets so that you don’t have to “seek” or “tune” them. If you have an iPod or CD changer, program a playlist of your favorite tunes so that you are not scrolling through them as you drive. If you have a passenger, you can assign them as DJ for the trip.
Eating on the Go – Sometimes we just don’t have enough time to sit down for a meal so we grab and go. But there’s always that defining moment when you spill your drink or get catsup on a white shirt and all of a sudden you’re more focused on what’s happening inside the vehicle instead of what’s happing in front of it. Resist the urge to snack and wait until you are parked before digging in to avoid a recipe for disaster.
The Cunnane Law Office has provided this content for informational purposes only. You should refer your questions to a personal injury attorney.
