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United Tire and Service News

What Is Considered Distracted Driving?

9/9/2022 1:01:58 PM | (546) View Count | Return
From billboards dotting the highway landscape to somber television PSAs, the word is out that texting and driving is a dangerous mix. In reality, however, the texting problem is just skimming the surface of the larger and more complex problem of distracted driving.
 
Ask 10 people, "what is distracted driving?" Chances are good that, other than texting from behind the wheel, their answers will be wildly divergent. One definition of distraction for drivers is “an internal or external factor that takes your eyes or mind away from the road.” Given those parameters, it's clear that distractions involve much more than just sending and reading text messages.

texting and driving

Three Main Types of Distractions

There are three categories for driving-related distractions:
  • Visual
  • Manual
  • Cognitive

Visual Distraction

A visual distraction is taking your eyes and attention off the road. An example of a visual distraction is turning your head to speak to your children in the back of the car.

Manual Distraction

A manual distraction is when you remove your hands from the steering wheel. Common manual distractions include texting or applying lipstick.

Cognitive Distraction

A cognitive distraction is when you take your mind off drivin, like daydreaming.

Unintentional distractions can be insidious because drivers aren't even aware that their attention has wandered. They're driving along and their minds wander to work or school dilemmas or the cross words they exchanged with a loved one before leaving the house. They didn't consciously decide to do anything to divert their attention from the road ahead — yet the tragic results are the same.
 

Some Distractions Are Hard To Avoid

While drivers can avoid many conscious distractions, it's a lot harder to avoid some others. For instance, picture a car filled with rowdy teenagers on their way to prom or a graduation party. There's likely music playing at a high volume, laughter, and several simultaneous conversations going on. It's very easy for a driver — especially an inexperienced teen driver with few miles under their belt — to get sucked into the atmosphere of the car rather than keeping mind and eyes on the road.
 
It's not just a teen problem by any means. Consider the frazzled young mother with a carful of kids turning around to hand a child a toy or break up a sibling squabble. That's the perfect storm for a deadly distracted driving incident to occur.
 

Role of Technology in Distracted Driving

Technological advances in the automotive industry have led to enhanced safety features in newer model vehicles. But valid concerns remain about drivers' interactions with their cars' navigational screens leading to unsafe distractions. But automotive tech also allows drivers — and the parents of teen drivers — to install cell phone blocking apps that block calls and texts when the owner is driving. Some go a step farther and send emails or texts to a teenager's parent if any sudden stops or speeding occurs.
 
There are also physical devices that can be installed in vehicles to act as virtual barriers known as "geofences." They send auto-text replies to incoming texts and deny the driver access without restricting other passengers from their cellphones.
 
The Highway Loss Data Institute for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) studies the role of technology in distracted driving crashes. They're encouraged by the prevalence of crash avoidance technology designed to reduce accidents linked to all forms of driver distractions. 
 

Education Can Reduce Distracted Driving Incidents

Teaching drivers of all ages — but especially younger drivers — of the importance of maintaining a distraction-free environment in the car is important. Parents can instill these values in their children by modeling good driving behaviors in front of the kids. That means pulling over to eat after going through a drive-thru, not sipping on coffee for the morning commute, etc.
 
If all drivers pledge to focus on the highway and not get distracted, the roads will be safer for all.

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