Common Activities That May Be More Dangerous Than Texting While Driving

There is no doubt that texting while driving is a lethal combination. But, if one stops for a minute to think about all of the distractions we face as drivers, texting may be the least of our worries.

To start off, we have cell phone use. For years, this holds the top of the charts of the distractions for drivers. Many states and cities have required the use of a non-hand held phone to be used inside the car. It can be a headset, a speakerphone, or any device that frees both hands behind the wheel. You may have noticed some drivers driving either terribly fast or sluggishly slow, failing to stop on a red light, and totally ignoring signage on highways, all while talking on the phone. Hand held or not, the reaction talking on the phone is the same.

And speaking of mates (or friends), have you ever held a conversation with someone while you drove? Oops, you were driving while distracted.

Cranking the air conditioning, and thermostat controls forces a driver to reach for the knobs and usually when they are removed from the driver’s position, the driver is forced to lean down loosing track of the road. There are also additional distractions, such as fidgeting with the radio and CD.

Ensuring we are on the correct path by looking at a roadmap and using our in-car navigation system is distraction at best.

A family that has young children especially one that has a baby is bound to have in-car issues that will take the driver’s mind off the road. This usually happens when a child is throwing tantrums, or a baby is crying an endless discordant tone. The parent that is driving would want to check what is happening and leans to the side or at the back of the car.

Sometimes the distractions are linked to the very things drivers should be wary about. For example, we came across an aggressive driver we suddenly become oblivious of the other drivers, focusing our mind to that particular eyesore of a driver. And the conversation inside the car turns towards that one driver not realizing that there are a lot of things that we need to keep track off, like landscape monitoring and highway signage.

There are also commotions on the road like accidents, a disabled car on the shoulder, or even the flashing patrol car lights are also distracting. Craning our necks, or rubbernecking, just to see a closer look at the accident will cause the traffic flow to slowdown, sometimes causing cars to bump one another causing more traffic jams and frustrations. The worst thing that you can get with this activity is a ticket and your certainly don’t want that.

And let’s not forget about all those highway signs, bill boards and other signage that graces our roadways in city and countryside settings. We’d better be looking at these to avoid missing a turn or driving faster than allowed.

On July 4th, one might catch the “rocket’s red glare” as fireworks explode in the nearby skies. Viewing and waving to a political or other protest along the side of roadway, checking out that garage sale, and looking for the real estate open house add to the distractions list.

The lesson this all imply teaches use to keep both hands on the wheel, both eyes focused on the road ahead.

Dorthy Weatherbush tries to be a safe driver all the time. She also tries to protect her vehicle. That’s why she buys car parts and accessories from Weather Tech. She can shop WeatherTech.com for all the car parts and accessories she needs.