Driving, while mostly fun, can be a major risk. Every year, thousands of people are killed behind the wheel with many others sustaining severe injuries.
Unsurprisingly, many of these accidents occur where the driver was distracted. This should serve as a red alert for everyone behind the wheel. Driving is one of those tasks you need to fully focus on. You can’t afford to do anything else. The moment you shift attention to another activity while driving, you’re putting your life and the lives of your passengers at risk. You also put the lives of other people using the road at risk.
The following are common distracters that you need to avoid while driving to prevent needless accidents;
1. Using the phone
Texting and driving accidents are prevalent for this reason. Composing a text message forces you to take your eyes off the road for a few seconds and focus on your phone’s screen. It doesn’t matter if you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds. On the road, those two seconds could be the difference between life and death.
2. Drinking alcohol
Drink driving doesn’t just mean drinking and then taking on the wheel later. It also covers drinking while driving. Aside from forcing you to take your eyes off the road, drinking while behind the wheel is dangerous because alcohol impairs judgment. You won’t be able to make the right decisions.
3. Falling asleep
It’s also dangerous to fall asleep when driving. If you feel sleepy, let someone else drive or postpone your trip. That’s because sleep shuts down parts of the brain. It doesn’t matter how many cups of coffee you take, when you’re drowsy, you can’t 100% focus on the road.
It’s not exactly illegal to eat while driving. But, for your own safety, there are some foods you should stay away from while behind the wheel. These include greasy foods that may make your hands slippery and foods that fall apart when you bite into them. In fact, where possible, avoid eating while driving altogether.
5. Getting dressed
This is a rather common one. You discover that it’s getting cold so you reach for your jacket in the back seat. Leaning over to each for something itself is very risky. Putting on or taking off clothes only compounds the risk.
6. Applying makeup
Applying makeup is good. But, doing it while the car is moving is just plain dangerous. Not only will you be focusing on the makeup at the expense of keeping your eyes on the road, makeup can also be messy. You may find yourself needing to wipe out certain areas, leading to further distraction.
Finally, it’s also advisable to avoid reading while driving. Similar to most of the activities listed above, reading takes your attention off the road. The moment your attention shifts, anything can happen. If you want to read in the car, do it when you’re not driving.
Stay Safe; Focus on the Road
These are just a few examples of things you should avoid while driving. The bottom line is that you need to focus 100% on the road while d