Anything you do by taking off your hands from the wheel or your eyes and mind off the road is a driving distraction. Distracted driving is really dangerous and can even cause fatal accidents. Off late such acts are growing in number with the increase in the use of gadgets that are intended for making our lives easier. A driver’s concentration is disturbed when they are used while driving and the results are usually deadly. Statistics indicate that nearly 80 percent of road accidents occur due to driver distraction and laws have been enacted to prevent such occurrences. Many states have banned use of cell phones while driving making it a serious offense.
Studies have shown that a driver using a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as a drunken driver. You will also be ticketed for using a cell phone or text messaging while driving. Cell phones, stereos, and GPS systems, in-car televisions, DVD Players and game consoles and more are adding to the distractions during driving. Fidgeting with the CD player or rummaging through the collection of CDs will hamper your driving skills as they are highly distracting and may cause an accident.
Since your driving record has a great impact on your auto insurance rate, it is obvious that you will be viewed as a risky driver if you have accidents in your record. This can cause a 40% increase of your car insurance rate. On the contrary if you avoid successfully driving distractions while driving and maintain a clean driving record, you will actually be rewarded with a significant discount on your car insurance. So make it a habit to check your insurance rates regularly and find out if you are getting the best deal. Doing this can save you a lot of money.
Talking over the cell phone has been found to be 34% higher risk of a collision according to the Texas Department of Transportation. People sometimes eat, use GPS systems and change CDS and attend to kids while driving. Some send emails and some send text messages while others read newspapers and so on. All these amount to driving distractions which have serious consequences.
The Insurance Information Institute has the following suggestions and tips to avoid driver distraction:
- Never eat or drink while driving as spills can cause an accident.
- Combing hair or putting on make up must be avoided.
- Do not take notes while driving; you can do it after pulling to the side of the road.
- Do not drive while talking on the phone or text messaging; you can do them after pulling off the road.
- During driving your voicemail should take your calls.
- Be aware of the other distracted drivers on the road, especially watching out for vehicles that keep switching lanes.
By being more aware of the road and keeping a watchful eye for avoiding accidents you can make yourself and those who travel with you safe plus the other drivers on the road too.