Three Tips To Avoid Minor Distractions In Your Car

Don’t let the word minor fool you, any distraction when you are driving can put you in a situation where you might wind up in a New Haven auto accident. In fact, some studies have shown that seemingly minor distractions like dropping an item and reaching for it or changing the radio station in the car can lead to a serious accident. If you’re not careful a split second decision you make while driving could put you in a very bad situation.

There is a lot of talk about distracted driving which focuses on things like cell phones or eating while driving, but there are seemingly minor that can cause just as significant damage as the bigger, headline grabbing distractions that are serious in their own right. All distractions when driving a vehicle can be serious, no matter how big or small they seem. In fact, just a split second of your attention being taken away from the road you’re driving on can lead to an accident.

When you get distracted while you’re driving you can experience a variety of different phenomena that can lead to an incident. Whether it’s a big or small distraction it will reduce your reaction time to changes in the road ahead. When you are focused on something other than where you are driving you may experience tunnel vision as your brain starts to filter out other information and only allow you to focus on the distraction. Finally, driving takes a lot of mental focus and if you’re not giving it all of your attention you will reduce your ability to process information about the road.

Some of the distractions that may be considered minor, but can certainly wind up causing you headaches include; fiddling with your infotainment system to change the song or climate controls, reaching for dropped items like your wallet or a spilled drink and passengers who can cause you distraction without even knowing it. These distractions need to be added to your list of things you should be concerned about and avoid at all costs when you are driving.

Here are some tips to consider when you get behind the wheel so you can avoid being distracted while you’re driving.

1.) Prepare before you start driving. You may need to adjust the temperature in the car or put on a playlist that you like before you head out on the road. If you do this you won’t need to fiddle with your infotainment system at all while you’re driving. This will insure that you are dedicating 100% of your mental focus to the road ahead of you and you will not have this distraction to worry about to get you into an accident.

2.) If you drop something or spill something you should pull over before you reach for it. You will want to find a safe place to pull over so you are not in the line of traffic and once you find that safe place you can put your car in park and reach for the item that may have fallen. If you try to do this while you’re driving you are putting yourself at risk of getting into an accident because your focus will not be on the road in front of you.

3.) Talk to passengers before you hit the road and let them know that you have some rules for them when they ride in your car. Passengers should be required to avoid interrupting you while you’re driving and kids, especially, should know that they should not yell or argue with a parent who is driving. If your passengers cannot follow the rules of your car they should not be allowed to ride with you. It is your choice how strict you will be with the rules, but you should not tolerate distractions because they could be dangerous to you and your passengers.

All distractions when you are driving can be dangerous and should be avoided. Whether you are using a cell phone or reaching for something that you dropped you could be putting yourself at risk of getting into a New Haven auto accident. When you take steps to eliminate these distractions and keep all distractions to a minimum you will be doing your best to keep yourself and those that are driving with you safe and free from harm while you’re driving.

Injuries from accidents do happen and if you find yourself in this type of situation you may need to seek the advice of an attorney. Contact our office and one of our experienced attorneys will speak with you about your situation and work with you to protect your long-term interests.