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April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month — a bully clip to beryllium mindful astir potential hazards connected nan road.
Laura Adams, elder expert pinch Aceable, an Austin, Texas-based driver acquisition company, told Fox News Digital that distracted driving poses "significant risks," contributing to astir 3,000 deaths per year.
"Understanding nan astir communal driving distractions, adopting proactive measures to debar them and investing successful protect driving acquisition are important steps to create a safer situation for yourself and others connected nan road," she said.
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Tina Paff, a certified driver rehabilitation master for Bick’s Driving School of Southwest Ohio, told Fox News Digital that driving distractions thin to autumn into 1 of 3 main categories: visual, beingness aliases cognitive.
The experts identified 9 of nan astir communal distractions connected nan road.
Distracted driving causes astir 3,000 deaths per year, according to an expert. Here are immoderate of nan astir communal distracted driving actions connected nan roadworthy today. (iStock)
1. Daydreaming
Daydreaming is 1 of nan "most frequent" and "scariest" distractions, Adams warned.
"It tin hap during monotonous aliases agelong drives, for illustration a regular commute," she said.
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"Maintaining attraction connected nan roadworthy and practicing mindfulness while driving tin thief forestall lapses successful attraction caused by pensive aliases what you spot extracurricular your vehicle," she said.
2. Using a compartment phone
Checking your compartment phone while driving is an illustration of a ocular distraction, according to Paff.
"You mightiness return your eyes disconnected nan roadworthy to publication that text, aliases to look astatine nan GPS, aliases to set music, aliases for ambiance control," she said.
"They each return your eyes disconnected nan road."
Checking your compartment telephone while driving is an illustration of a ocular distraction, according to a driving expert. (iStock)
Adams agreed, noting that while answering a matter tin beryllium a earthy impulse, immoderate phone-related activities will divert your attraction from nan road.
"To debar distraction, usage proactive measures for illustration mounting your telephone to 'Do Not Disturb' mode and pre-programming immoderate GPS apps earlier you commencement driving," she advised.
3. Looking astatine thing extracurricular your vehicle
Staying focused connected driving intends actively scanning your surroundings by watching nan roadworthy up and utilizing your broadside and rearview mirrors, according to Adams.
"The biggest culprit is nan compartment phone."
"Looking astatine thing extracurricular your conveyance for excessively long, specified arsenic a billboard, different car aliases thing other that mightiness drawback your oculus tin beryllium dangerous," she said.
"If you’re not paying attraction erstwhile a vehicle, cyclist aliases pedestrian gets successful your path, it only takes a mates of seconds for an mishap to happen."
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Paff categorized these types of distractions arsenic "cognitive," since it’s "taking our mind disconnected driving."
Practicing mindfulness while driving tin thief forestall lapses successful attention, she said.
Cognitive distractions specified arsenic looking astatine thing extracurricular your car will "take your mind disconnected driving," an master said. (iStock)
"Think of nan times you arrived location and you don’t retrieve nan thrust getting there," she said.
"The biggest culprit is nan compartment phone, arsenic we statesman to prosecute successful nan speech aliases matter concatenation much than concentrating connected driving."
4. Abusing substances and lacking sleep
Substance abuse, aliases moreover nan usage of immoderate allergy aliases sleep medications, tin "leave america emotion foggy," Paff noted.
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"And we whitethorn miss a fewer very important things on nan way, for illustration a extremity sign, a ray aliases traffic," she said.
Sleep deprivation tin besides origin fogginess, taking one's attraction distant from nan road, Paff added.
Sleep deprivation tin beryllium vulnerable for drivers, experts warn. (iStock)
"If you cognize you are driving successful nan morning, possibly commencement limiting that medication you return astatine nighttime that tin and will impact your driving," she said.
"If you suffer from slumber deprivation and you person nary choice, you whitethorn want to time off your location pinch an power aliases caffeinated drink."
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People who are sleep-deprived shouldn’t support their car "all heated and cozy," Paff said. "Go up and unfastened nan model [and] get that cool aerial blowing done to support you alert and responsive."
5. Reaching for objects
Tasks for illustration reaching for a fallen object, answering a matter aliases chatting pinch a rider tin each travel arsenic "natural impulses," Adams said.
"Reaching for a fallen entity while driving tin only return a matter of seconds, but those seconds could beryllium nan quality betwixt staying safe and causing an accident," she noted.
Make judge you person each your supplies successful spot earlier starting to drive, an master advised. (iStock)
"Before driving, see what you whitethorn request and spot it adjacent to you. If you request an entity that would return your attraction distant from driving, propulsion disconnected nan roadworthy and extremity your conveyance successful a safe spot to retrieve it."
6. Interacting pinch passengers
Establishing clear rules for passengers is simply a must, particularly for caller drivers who are still getting comfortable pinch nan road, Adams said.
"If you person passengers, show them you must enactment focused connected nan roadworthy to thrust safely," she suggested. "To support them engaged while maintaining safety, you could inquire them to thief you navigate nan champion way to your destination."
7. Eating and drinking
Instead of trying to multitask while driving, Adams said it's champion to decorativeness eating and drinking earlier driving.
"Managing messy foods aliases spills could beryllium a important distraction down nan instrumentality aliases origin you to suffer power of your vehicle," she warned.
Eating and drinking while driving is 1 of nan superior causes of distracted driving, experts agreed. (iStock)
"Phones tin origin america to extremity physically driving, but truthful tin eating, drinking [and] grooming," Paff added.
8. Adjusting onboard systems
To guarantee that your hands enactment connected nan steering wheel, it's important to person each your supplies successful spot earlier you commencement driving, said Paff.
Adams agreed, suggesting pre-adjusting each onboard systems, for illustration ambiance control, mapping, music, seats and mirrors.
"Stay focused connected nan destination, beryllium alert to others astir you, move telephone notifications disconnected and bask nan ride."
"Trying to make changes while driving tin beryllium a vulnerable distraction and prevents you from physically making changes while driving," she said.
9. Dealing pinch pets aliases moving objects successful nan vehicle
"Always unafraid your children, pets aliases thing successful your conveyance that could move earlier getting underway," Adams advised.
"If they request your attention, propulsion disconnected nan roadworthy to negociate them safely alternatively of trying to scope nan backseat while driving."
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Even vigilant drivers are astatine consequence erstwhile different drivers are distracted, Adams warned. To thief trim this risk, she suggested taking a protect driving class.
"They thatch valuable devices and strategies to expect and respond to hazardous situations, including those caused by distracted drivers," she said.
Drivers should "stay focused connected nan destination, beryllium alert of others astir you, move telephone notifications disconnected and bask nan ride," an master advised. (Arterra/Universal Images Group)
"By learning protect driving techniques, you tin heighten your consciousness of imaginable risks, amended your decision-making skills and trim nan likelihood of being progressive successful a distracted driving accident."
Another method that Paff offered is envisioning arriving safely astatine your destination while driving.
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"This type of visualization whitethorn thief your attraction arsenic good arsenic support you focused connected nan different drivers astir you to forestall thing disastrous from happening," she said.
"Stay focused connected nan destination, beryllium alert to others astir you, move phone notifications disconnected and bask nan ride."
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Angelica Stabile is simply a manner writer for Fox News Digital.
