Driving Distractions You Should Curb
Dr. Crystal Lee
| 4 min read
By Dr. Crystal Lee MD, FACP, CPC, CHQM, a medical director of utilization management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Distracted driving is the leading cause of most car crashes and near incidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) More than 3,00 people die from distracted driving incidents each year.
Whether a person takes their eyes off the road, removes their hands from the steering wheel or doesn’t pay attention, distracted driving is a danger to everyone on the road.
Types of driving distractions
Distractions in the vehicle are generally in three categories:
- Cognitive, not paying attention to the task
- Manual, taking hands off the steering wheel
- Visual, or taking eyes off the road
Reading a text message, for example, can take a driver’s eyes off the road for about five seconds. Driving at 55 miles per hour, they have traveled about the length of a football field and could easily hit another vehicle or pedestrian without slowing or stopping.
Texting while driving is a major safety hazard, but distractions are not limited to phones. Daydreaming, adjusting the radio and talking to passengers all remove a driver’s focus from their task. Contrary to popular belief, the human brain isn’t capable of multitasking. When a driver is primarily paying attention to a conversation, their bodies are on autopilot. During an attempt at multitasking, humans become less efficient and effective at any task.
Sleep deprivation is another distraction in the car. Being fatigued or drowsy reduces alertness, slows reaction times and increases cognitive impairment that puts everyone at risk; hundreds of Americans have died in recent years from driving while drowsy driving, according to the NHTSA.
Being impaired by alcohol or drugs also slows reaction times and increases high risk behaviors. Drunk driving kills more than 13,000 drivers annually, according to NHSTA.
Michigan’s hands-free law
In Michigan, the law requires all drivers to use hands-free systems for their phones. It is illegal for anyone in the state to hold a phone in their hand or with their body and:
- Make or answer a phone or video call.
- Send or read a text or email.
- Enter information into a navigation system.
- Watch, record or send a video.
- Read or post to social media.
- Use the Internet.
Violating the hands-free law can lead to fines and community service.
Tips to avoid distracted driving
The best way to avoid distracted driving is for drivers to take distracted driving seriously and set themselves up for safety. Parents should talk regularly with teen drivers about the importance of focus and care on the road.
Here are tips for safe and focused driving:
- Put the phone on do not disturb.
- Place the phone out of reach.
- Connect the phone to a Bluetooth or hands-free system in the vehicle prior to driving.
- Only talk on the phone using a hands-free system while driving when absolutely necessary and pull over to a safe location to make a more in-depth call.
- Set up music and navigation before driving.
- Pull the car over to make changes to navigation or the radio or ask a passenger to do it instead.
- Do not use headphones while driving and keep music at a reasonable level.
- Keep children and pets secured and safe in the vehicle.
- Do not eat or do personal grooming while driving.
- Do not drive when sleep deprived.
- Do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It can take two to three hours for a single alcoholic drink to leave a person’s system.
- Be mindful of conversations and interactions with passengers and pull the vehicle over to address situations with children.
- Focus on the road and avoid daydreaming.
Dr. Crystal Lee is a medical director of utilization management at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. For more health tips and information, visit A Healthier Michigan.
Image: Getty Images
Related:
