The Real Costs of Distracted Driving: Causes, Risks, and Consequences
Only a few moments of distracted driving can turn a happy ride into a tragic accident. Undoubtedly, it’s one of the major causes of road accidents worldwide. In the United States alone, around 9 people die every day due to road crashes involving distracted drivers. Apart from risking life, distracted driving also has long-term implications including physical injuries, disabilities, and financial suffering.
These are why our leaders are so focused on devising laws against distracted driving. Many drivers have adopted dangerous habits like using phones or zoning out while driving which can lead to serious consequences. So, it is important to stay informed and follow the safe-driving rules.
This blog post provides a comprehensive guide to major driving distractions and their true costs. Read it to understand the threats these minor distractions pose.
What is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving is a dangerous act of unmindful driving in which a driver indulges in an activity that diverts his/her attention from the road. Cell phones are the one distraction that comes into everyone’s mind when thinking about driving distractions. It’s indeed a major one making 12% of the reason behind road accidents.
However, cell phones are just one of the visual distractions, and there are many other categories one can think about. Let’s have a look at some major ones.
1. Visual Distractions
Visual distractions happen when drivers shift their attention away from the road and get involved in both in and out-of-vehicle activities. Examples include using a phone, using navigation devices, reading billboards, or adjusting the rear view mirrors.
2. Auditory Distractions
Many people have the habit of listening to loud music or getting into intense discussions with their passengers. In such situations, there is a high risk of missing the auditory signs on the road like warning honking and sirens.
3. Cognitive Distractions
Driving is a careful task but the cognitive distraction diverts the attention of the drivers from the road even if their sight is on the road the whole time. The reasons behind unmindful driving can be daydreaming, overthinking, or a continuous conversation with passengers.
4. Multitasking Habits
Multitasking while driving is a life-risking habit. It’s a kind of manual distraction when drivers get their hands off the steering wheel and try to multitask like grabbing any fallen item in the car or searching for something from the bag.
Mostly, drivers are involved in more than one distraction at a time which makes the situation even worse. Let’s take the example of talking to the passenger. It not only occupies their hearing sense but keeps their mind busy in the processing of conversation. Eventually, it slows down the driver’s ability to timely react to the traffic conditions and leads to deadly road accidents.
The Real Implications of Distracted Driving
We all have ever had those subtle moments of distracted driving like sending a text message, adjusting the radio, or daydreaming. All of these seem to be harmless but their true consequences are far more serious and dreadful. From a hefty fine and legal trouble to hefty fines, distracted driving can leave lifelong financial and emotional scars.
Sadly, many people have the “it won’t happen to me” mindset and forget that accidents don’t discriminate. It is always a few seconds of wandering mind that cause these life-changing events. In the following section, we have included some real-life threats of distracted driving to help you understand why staying focused on the road is crucial.
1. Loss of Human Lives
Money can be earned, the car can be fixed, but you can never bring a lost life back. Thousands of people lose their loved ones in road accidents each year and distracted driving is a major cause behind it. It shatters families and causes a lifetime of regret. However, by staying focused and driving safely, you can contribute significantly to bringing down those numbers and creating safer roads for everyone.
2. Financial Implications
The accident due to distracted driving costs a lot more than a ticket. Medical bills and repairing of vehicles and, in worst cases, lawsuits due to distracted driving put serious financial strain on the driver. Moreover, insurance companies take this offense very seriously. Even a minor case of distracted driving can double or triple the insurance premiums and policy cancellation in the case of repeated offenses. Thus, it leads to long-term financial hardships that impact the stability of the family.
3. Legal Troubles
Distracted driving is illegal in many regions across the world. If a driver is caught committing this crime, the penalty can range anything from hefty fines to jail time depending on the severity and offense counts. Police can also suspend the license of the drivers which could permanently affect their careers, especially commercial drivers. Furthermore, a criminal record can cause never-ending legal troubles like hindrances in future jobs, traveling, and housing opportunities.
4. Emotional Burden
The worst things happen to the survivors of the accidents due to distracted driving. Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) take an emotional toll on the survivor’s mind and require a long and painful journey for their physical and emotional healing. If someone has died, the pain is unimaginable and leaves families behind grieving for years. The worst part of the post-accident situation is the guilt and anger when the driver knows that the accident could have been prevented by avoiding distracted driving.
5. Risky Career
Apart from the immediate impacts, an incident of distracted driving can derail careers and end future job opportunities. Some injuries are mild and a few weeks or months off work can recover them completely. However, if the injuries are severe or there are permanent disabilities, it makes it hard to get back to the job, leading to long-term or permanent unemployment. Apart from the injuries, the individuals involved in driving-related jobs, like commercial drivers and delivery riders can lose their jobs and get permanently banned from their work platforms.
How to Avoid Distracted Driving?
If you want to stay focused behind the wheel, it is important to follow driving laws to protect yourself, your passengers, and everyone on the road. Distracted driving may be a leading cause of road accidents, but it is completely preventable. You only need to make a few intentional changes to reduce risks and ensure a safer journey for everyone.
Here are a few practical tips for keeping distractions at bay and making driving safe.
1. Keep Your Phone Away
Your phone is the biggest temptation that compels you to get distracted from the road. Whether it is a glance at the notifications or sending a message, your attention is going to be quickly diverted. The best approach? Put your phone on silent mode and place it somewhere you cannot reach it easily, like the backseat.
2. Use “Away” Feature
If you frequently receive calls and text messages throughout the day, you can use the automated “Away” feature on your iPhone or Android. This feature instantly informs the callers that you are on the road and will get back to them when you have safely reached your destination. This small setting can help you to maintain your focus on the road.
3. No Multitasking while Driving
Sometimes you may have to urgently contact someone or do something in the car, like searching your bag or adjusting the radio. Never do it while driving. Pull over your car when it’s necessary at a safer place before attending anything important. However, ensuring to stop at a safe place is important as a busy road can create additional risks.
4. Maintain a Safe Following Distance
Never drive too closely to the car in front of you as it eliminates the margin for reaction time, especially when the driver in front suddenly brakes. If you are driving on a rushy road, follow the three-second rule which means maintaining at least a 3-second gap from your front car, so you have enough time to stop when needed and reduce the likelihood of situations that could require assistance from a rear end accident lawyer.
5. Ask Your Passengers for Help
Your passengers can help eliminate distractions from your car instead of being a source of distraction. Ask them to handle tasks like adjusting the radio, managing the navigation system, or replying to important messages. Dividing this role before starting a ride ensures that your sole focus is on the road.
6. Keep Children and Pets Secure
Driving with pets and children is a sensitive matter and could be dangerous if you are driving with any of them sitting on your lap. Both children and pets should be properly restrained in the car to avoid in-vehicle distractions and prevent them from getting hurt. Use age-appropriate car seats with adequate safety gear for the children and carriers or pet seat belts for your pets to secure them in the car.
Conclusion
Distracted driving is a dangerous act that can negatively alter someone’s life but cause serious implications for the physical, mental, and financial implications for the affected people. So, make sure to keep all the distractions away before getting behind the wheel to ensure the safety of everyone on the road.
If you are having a hard time handling the distraction, you can enroll in a reliable defensive driving course, such courses are specifically designed to teach skills like road-hazards awareness, strategies to minimize distractions, and improving reaction time while driving. Make mindful choices while driving and save lives.
