When most people hear the term ‘distracted driving’ they often think of texting while driving as that is one of the most common reasons people drive while distracted. But distracted driving goes far beyond just texting and driving.
Distracted driving is any act that takes your attention and focus off of the road. This can significantly increase a driver’s risk of getting into an accident.
Distracted driving can strongly affect a driver’s reaction time. Even just a short distraction can mean missing serious information about what is happening on the road around you. If you are driving 55 miles per hour and you take your eyes off of the road for just 2-seconds, it’s like driving the entire length of a football field with a blindfold on.
There are many different types of ways a driver can become distracted while driving. Typically they break down into three different categories.
Visual: When you look away from the road.
Manual: When you physically take your hands off of the steering wheel.
Cognitive: Thinking about something other than driving.
When a person texts and drives, all three of those categories are combined, which is very dangerous.
In 2022 over 3,000 people lost their lives due to distracted driving related crashes. While minor accidents can occur due to distracted driving, most distracted driving accidents are very serious in nature.
When a driver is driving while distracted it doesn’t just put their life in danger, it puts everyone else’s life on the roadway in danger too. When driving, always pay attention to the road in front of you and around you. If you must text someone, it’s best to pull over somewhere safe to send the text.
