Distracted Driving

Transportation related accidents are consistently the leading causes of on-the-job fatalities. Distractions take your focus off driving. They also increase your risk of having a tragic accident.

There are three main types of driving distractions:

  • Visual - Taking your eyes off the road
  • Manual - Taking your hands off the wheel
  • Cognitive - Taking your mind off what you are doing
  • Driving Distractions:
    • Text messaging
    • Dialing or talking on a cell phone
    • Eating, drinking or smoking
    • Picking up a fallen object
    • Shaving or putting on makeup    
    • Talking to passengers
    • Using your laptop or tablet

Help end the epidemic of distracted driving:

  • Declare all vehicles “text-free zones”
  • Turn cell phones off, or put them on silent or vibrate before starting the car
  • Pull over safely to the side of the road or another safe location if you need to use your cell phone
  • Consider modifying voice mail greetings to tell callers you are unavailable to answer calls or return messages while driving
  • Inform clients and business associates of this policy as an explanation of why calls may not be returned immediately

Discussion Questions:

  1. What other distractions can you list?
  2. Do your emotions affect your concentration on driving?
  3. Can fatigue distract you? How?
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