Safety Tips - Distracted Driving
Phones, touchscreens, and life in general create more distractions for drivers than ever before. Even a few seconds of lost focus can change a routine trip into a serious collision. Learn how to cut down distractions and keep your attention on the road so you can protect yourself, your passengers, and everyone around you.
Tips to Help Prevent Distracted Driving
Modern cars, technology and life all conspire to create more distractions. When distractions happen they cause you to lose focus and make errors resulting in accidents, loss of life, expensive repairs, missed work, increased insurance premiums, anxiety, suffering, and much more.
Studies show the average distraction can last 5 seconds, and in that time a car can travel over one and a half football fields. The pattern of distraction is the same whether we are on the road, at work or at home!
Keep Your Phone out of Reach: Putting your phone in the Glove Box, out of reach, and with sounds muted, can help you avoid the temptation of checking it. At a minimum, you can turn the phone to "do not disturb" mode until you reach your destination.
Don't Disturb Others Who are Driving: If you know someone is driving, avoid texting or calling them until they are at their destination - your call could put them at risk for an accident.
Vow not to multi-task: Anything that occupies your mind or vision can be a distraction behind the wheel. Make time at home to eat meals or put on makeup, so you can focus on the road when driving.
Pull over to check directions and set navigation: Programming your navigation system while you drive can take your eyes off the road. It’s better to ask a passenger to do it or to enter your destination before you leave home.
Have a place for pets: Make sure that pets can't distract you while driving. Have a place for your pet where they can't disturb the driver.
If you need to reach something - Pull over: Don't be tempted to reach for those sunglasses that are just out of reach while driving. Doing so causes your eyes and mind to loose focus on the task at hand. While reaching for things it's common to pull the steering wheel, causing your car to veer which dramatically increases your risk of being in an accident.
The car itself can be a distraction: Modern cars have information systems and interfaces that can do many things. Even though these systems are part of the car, they can also cause distraction and force your eyes off the road. Be aware that time spent not looking out the windshield is distracted time.
Pattern of Distraction
Our State of Mind initiates distracted behaviors.
- Rushing
- Frustration
- Anger
- Fatigue
- Familiarity or Complacency with task
Type of Distractions result in poor decisions and mental lapses
- VisualÂ
- Auditory
- Manual
- Cognitive
Effect of Distraction
- Eyes not on task
- Mind not on task
- Loss of balance, traction, grip, etc.
Mitigating Distraction in Our Lives
Proactively Create Awareness and Provide Training
- Statistics, Facts, Knowledge
- Drivers and Workplace EducationÂ
Reinforce Learning
- Safety Discussions with teens and employees
- Use tools to keep top of mind
- Repeat until good habits have been developed
By taking these steps you can reduce your risk of an accident and injury while driving a vehicle. It’s not always easy to avoid these distractions, but doing so will make you, your family and other drivers safer.
If the drivers in your family or business need insurance, we can help.  Whatever your needs if you are in Colorado Springs, Parker or anywhere in Colorado, we can help put together a valued based plan specific to your unique situation, that balances coverage options with competitive prices.Â
