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:
- What other distractions can you list?
- Do your emotions affect your concentration on driving?
- Can fatigue distract you? How?