Let me start by telling you about an experience I once had when I was driving home from work. It was dark, the roads were wet and I was travelling on a standard road which wasn’t busy. There was a car in front of me which was travelling at the speed limit (like me). What happened next appeared to take place in slow motion.
There was a van parked in the road ahead of us and, as I watched I thought “this driver is going straight up the back of that van unless he slows down now”. To my horror, he crashed straight into the back of the van. Of course, I immediately stopped and rushed over. The driver seemed a little shocked, but otherwise OK. I asked if he needed any help and he said he would be fine.
One main thought sprang to mind after this little incident which could have been a lot worse if we had been in busy traffic or, he was travelling far quicker than 30mph. What was this person doing that caused them to miss a transit van parked right in front of him So much so; he ended up hitting the back of it.
There were two conclusions:
- He had been drinking alcohol and his reactions were not what they should be.
- He took his eyes off the road.
The first point is something the police would obviously have to work out, the second however, is what we call distracted driving and it can be very dangerous indeed.
Reasons Why You Might Be Distracted
If you’re travelling alone, the following can easily happen:
- You decide to change the CD your currently playing in the car. This involves not only taking your eyes off the road, but your hands off the wheel (even if it is only one).
- You’re head is turned by an attractive person or something happening on the street.
- You decide to answer your mobile phone without using the hands-free kit. In actual fact, answering your mobile when driving can be considered a distraction anyway.
- You go looking for a map because you’re lost.
- Possibly one of the worst distractions is Sat-Nav systems that have a visual display. These are (in my opinion) a constant distraction. You may not realise it, but you will be able to see the map at all times out of the corner of your eye, and it’s very tempting to look at it.
If you’re travelling with passengers:
- Talking to someone for the most part is OK, and we all do it. However, you can be tempted to look at them.
- If you have kids in the back of the car it’s tempting to look in your rear-view mirror when you talk to them (also a distraction).
What Can Happen
The majority of accidents on the road (fatal or not), are caused by distracted driving. It takes a split second for something to go wrong. Imagine that you’ve just looked down at your mobile, look up again and a cyclist is in the path of your car or, worse a child!
Keeping in mind how distractions can cause accidents is something you should think about every-time you take to the roads. It could save your life!
