How Distracted Are You while Driving?

Not far back in time, two distracted pilots of Northwest Airlines overshot their destination by around 150 miles and reached Wisconsin instead of Minneapolis Airport which was their planned destination.

One would ask how this happened; the reason was not drugs, alcohol or lack of sleep as speculated by many. The government investigators had blamed the laptops for distracting the pilots and losing track of time.

Fortunately no one was injured and the plane had safely landed. However, this incident is a scary reminder of how dangerous distractions can be, whether one is flying a plane or driving a car while being distracted.

It is a matter of question if one eats on the road, uses cell phone while driving of uses the car as a personal beauty salon,

Nearly 6000 people die in car accidents which are related to distracted driving and many more are injured every year. For some drivers, bad driving habits have become so much normal that they don’t even realize they are being distracted and putting themselves and the lives of others in danger.

If you are ready and willing to make some essential life saving changes to your regular driving habit, then these five useful steps can be followed for minimizing distracted driving.

1. Recognizing Distractions

Once the activities that distract you are recognized, they can be positively eliminated.

2. Making a Plan

Before setting out for the road, the missed calls in the cell phone should be checked, makeup work should be completed and some snacks should be eaten. This can help in eliminating any distraction before they can happen.

3. Time Management

If there is a busy work schedule, time should always be managed in the start and end of every day for checking emails and answering important missed calls or texts, this is make one drive easy on the road.

4. Pull Over

If there is an urgent phone call which has to be answered or if there is a need to consult the map for directions, the proper way is to safely pull over to the side of the road for keeping yourself and others safe.

5. Making a Pact

If one has trouble putting down the cell phone or avoiding other distractions, then a concerted effort should be made to switch off the cell phone and eliminate any possible distractions from the car. Make up your mind to drive attentively without distractions and get your family and friends involved.