Distractions To Look Out For When Driving

Good driving requires all of your concentration to ensure that you keep yourself and the people who are sharing the road with you completely safe. That means you need to be aware of the things that might distract you while you are driving and handle them accordingly.

A good driving instructor will make sure to minimise these distractions during your driving lessons, however, once you have finally passed your test you will want to ensure you keep all of the following either out of your car or in a place where they will not be able to distract you.

Mobile Phones

We all know that the humble mobile phone has evolved from a simple piece of kit for calling somebody into a full-blown handheld computer. This means that they are more distracting than ever before, with constant notifications from social media websites combining with calls and texts. As we all know, you should never use your mobile phone while you are driving, as it causes you to take your eyes off the road or to not have full control of the vehicle while you are driving. As such, you should store your phone somewhere that it won’t distract you and, ideally, place it on silent so that you aren’t tempted to look when it rings.

Radio Stations

Having some music on in the car isn’t an issue, unless you start rocking out to it when you should be concentrating on the road. However, fiddling with CDs and radio stations is. If you are taking your eyes off the road to look at your stereo system then you are making your vehicle a danger for other road users and yourself. Granted, it can be hard to sit through an entire Miley Cyrus song while you’re driving, but you’re just going to have to grin and bear it until you get to a place where it is safe to change the station.

Eating

A lot of people eat while they are driving with few problems, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a distraction. Unwrapping food, dropping it or simply taking a bite at an inopportune moment could spell disaster in the wrong circumstances. If you need to eat, try taking a couple of minutes to just pull over to the side of the road. You’ll be safer, plus you’ll probably enjoy your meal a lot more that way too.

Applying Cosmetics

There is no end to the amount of drivers who have driven past somebody who is using their mirrors to make sure that all of their makeup is properly applied. It is a ridiculous habit to have and one that could cost you or somebody else their lives in the wrong situation. Needless to say, you should only apply your makeup before or after you have entered the car. After all, the situation can’t be so desperate that you need to do it while you’re driving.

Daydreaming

Never let your mind wander when you are driving, as you need to ensure you are concentrating on the road at all times. You never know when a hazard might appear, so you need to ensure that you stay vigilant so that you can tackle it when it does.