We all have come across them, some idiot who thinks that to read a book, shave, or text is okay while driving. Now having said that, have I texted while driving? No and I won’t as I know that this is an extremely dangerous undertaking. I find myself having enough trouble to control my vehicle even in the best road conditions, that being said it doesn’t have always have to be me who doesn’t concentrate on driving or who dreams while driving meanwhile ignoring the road.  

What about Your Driving?

I know that many drivers involved in accidents tend to think that their driving is impeccable and that the other driver is at fault. Well at times that may be correct but should make you think about your driving habits.   Whether you drive in large urban center or the suburbs, drivers can always be idiots all it takes is the right situation and even you can be one. In this case I speak out of experience.  When it comes to my driving at times it can be a bit rash and well dumb; such as rolling through stop signs when turning thinking that it is okay as traffic isn’t that bad, well try telling that to the police officers who were waiting around the corner and ready to pull me over.   Why am I telling you this? Well knowing that you can make mistakes actually allows you to look out for them in yourself and others.  It is important that we know our limitations and learn from our mistakes. Okay so you have heard this in drivers education, your driving instructors, and well so pretty much everyone around you.   Well let me paint you a picture, I could have lost my 5-month-old niece because my little sister decided that she knew how to drive and could handle snow conditions on the one and only day it really snowed. Thinking she could handle the roads and barely knowing her car she managed to spin it and land in a ditch a couple of feet from a sharp drop on the hill. Her overconfidence in her abilities and car made her risk not only her life but also that of my niece. Overconfidence is a leading factor in more and more accidents, drivers thinking that they or their cars are infallible to problems and mistakes. A great example in the matter is drivers believing that SUV’s are safer than normal sedans, or other smaller vehicles. The fact is each vehicle type has its drawbacks and to just rely on the size of the vehicle to save you, well that’s about as naïve as thinking that by playing the lottery you’re automatically able to win.  

Handle the Distractions in Your Car

How good are you in handling all the distractions in your car? What are they you wonder? Well why don’t we start with a few more common items such as; cell phones, GPS units, car stereos, and mp3 players. Well the biggest controversies as of late are cell phones and GPS units, as they tend to take more attention away from driving to use them.  Many drivers believe that their cell phones do not distract them while driving, that in a whole is crap. In various studies placed in the EU and North America it has been found that the drivers reaction time is comparable to that of a drunk driver.  Studies have shown that the reaction time of cell phone users, using hands free or the handset, are nearly double that of a drunk driver. This should make you think, the fact that your 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident while using your phone while driving is in my eyes a rather good incentive not to use your phone while driving at all. Hands free or not hands free isn’t even a question anymore to carry a conversation with someone who isn’t with you takes your concentration, imagination, and in the end attention and awareness away while driving. Be smart, don’t talk and drive.  

Do Not Operate While Driving

This warning “Do not operate while driving” is a warning that many GPS users have seen, however it seems that not many seem to adhere to it. Let me give you some advice here, the GPS devices should never be utilized while driving, they are there to assist you while you drive and give you directions.  Many devices come with an easy visual interface however that should never make you think that it is okay to use it while operating your vehicle.  Newer voice operated devices are being released but that still means that your attention is taken away from driving. Enter your destination while parked, and correct routes only when parked safely.  

Many Factors But Only One Driver

With all these factors out there that impact our driving behavior it isn’t surprising that we make plenty of mistakes. Despite popular belief we aren’t great multitaskers, if we concentrate on multiple things at once we will give them only part of our attention and do give not what we should. When it comes to our lapses of judgment while driving may it be due to outside sources or our own overconfidence it is always wise to take a step back and understand that common sense will always get you out of tricky situations!