Distracted Driving and How To Avoid It

Have you ever seen someone doing something ridiculous while they drive, like shaving, putting on makeup, or reading a newspaper? These behaviors seem like obvious distractions and your first thought upon seeing someone like this was probably, “They need to keep their eyes on the road!” Maybe your first thought was to call them a name or question their intelligence. The fact is distracted driving is NOT smart driving, and beyond these obvious distractions exist a million other distractions you might not have considered.

Some behaviors have become so commonplace while driving we no longer consider their hinderance on making good driving decisions. Have you have answered a phone call, glanced at a map, changed the radio station, or read a billboard while driving? These are all distractions, and dangerous ones at that. Taking your attention from the road ahead even for one split second could mean the difference between life and death.
Consider this, if you are driving down the road at 65 miles an hour in 2 seconds you  will travel approximately 190 feet. It might take two seconds to turn your air conditioner off, or find your favorite radio station; it also could take two seconds to change your life. Think about how much could change in that 190 feet – a car could easily move in front of you, traffic could slow down or stop, an animal or pedestrian could run out into the road, or you could encounter an ice patch or pothole. In those two seconds you take your eyes off the road you could be setting yourself up for a disaster.

“Distracted Driving: At What Cost?” and “Distracted Driving: Real Accidents, Real Stories” present the stories of accident victims while providing you with the skills to recognize distractions and ways to eliminate them. Both of these courses are available in the Video On Demand format.