Distracted Driving — An alarming problem !
Driving is a necessity for most of us. But, driving also comes with a lot of responsibilities. If we look back most of us have often found ourselves guilty of driving with negligence, especially getting distracted by our phones. Unsafe driving not only includes driving under the influence of alcohol but also has several forms of distractions attached to it.
Let’s have a look at the kinds of distraction possible while driving:
Visual: This happens when your eyes are off the road. Typically found when texting, applying makeup, catering to little ones, taking a video over Snapchat.
Manual: Where your hands are off the steering wheels. Controlling the radio, air conditioner, making a call or trying to locate your destination while driving are typical examples of manual distracted driving. You are driving without any control over your vehicle.
Cognitive: This happens when we are susceptible to not noticing things happening on the road even if your eyes are on the road. While thinking about an email to send or a fight with a family member or for that matter anything under the sun is a form of cognitive distraction.
Let’s look at the different causes of distracted driving.
Eating and drinking –We end up grabbing a quick snack on our way to class/work, eventually this becomes a huge distraction to our mind and we end up driving unsafe. This mostly happens due to our busy lives where we think doing this will save a lot of time.
Smoking — When we have the smoke in one hand and steering on another it greatly reduces our control of the vehicle especially in case of a manual.
Applying makeup –Many women feel on an urge to fix their makeup and check on their vanity mirror while they are inside the car. This involves visual, manual and cognitive distraction. Please don’t do it when in motion.
Interacting with other occupants — A mother reprimanding her child, a driver talking to his/her occupant about work/life, a son sharing his school stories on his way back to his father are distractions that get us carried away and lose focus on the road. Chatting with your co-passenger is a good way to enjoy your drive but the driver needs to be cautious and not lose his/her sight of the road.
Operating GPS –Operating GPS involves looking at the small screen and typing the destination. This should be done before starting your trip or when parked at signals.
Lost in thoughts — Driving can get really monotonous and boring and one can get lost in thoughts, sometimes without even realising. Something unexpected happens and we snap back. This has happened to all of us. Playing your favourite music or having a light chat with the co-passengers will help avoid this.
Mobile Phones — This includes all three forms of distraction at the same time. When your read something on the small screen of your mobile phone, your vision shifts from long-range to short range, making your practically blind to what’s happening on the road. Holding the phone makes you lose full control of the vehicle, and processing what your read means you’re cognitively disengaged from driving. Mobile phones involve visual, cognitive, and manual distraction, which makes it the most dangerous form of distracted driving.
An individual checks his phone on an average 110 times a day. We are quite dependent and also addicted to our devices. When this habit extends even to driving, we put ourselves and others at grave risks. The consequences of which we won’t even like to imagine.
Kruzr is a smart driving assistant which manages all your communications intelligently while you drive, keeping you safe yet connected on every trip. Check out how on www.kruzr.co or try out the app from Play Store.
