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Two Methods:Preparing to Avoid Driving DistractionsAvoiding Multitasking Mistakes

Driving distractions cause most accidents. A joint study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed driver distractions were behind 65 percent of near-crashes and 80 percent of crashes. With most crashes occurring within 3 seconds after the driver is distracted, taking the following steps to avoid being distracted behind the wheel could save your life.

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EditMethod 1 of 2: Preparing to Avoid Driving Distractions

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    Know where you're going before you go. Read road maps or use online mapping Web sites to plan your route out before you go, and pull off the road if you need to review your plans en route.
    • While GPS units help with driving directions, they can also distract you. If you must use a portable GPS unit, keep it where it won't force you to take your eyes off the road. Most built-in GPS units are placed within a 30-degree field of view from the windshield.
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    Familiarize yourself with your car's controls before you start out. The location of controls varies from car to car. Know where to find important controls, such as the gearshift, turn signals, windshield wipers, cruise control and headlights before you go, particularly if you're driving a rental car or a friend's car for the first time.
    • Automobile manufacturers are clustering key controls increasingly closer together to reduce the distance your hand must travel off the steering wheel rim and the time it must be off the wheel. Still, time spent searching for an unfamiliarly placed control on the road is time that takes your attention off the road.
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    Drive rested, not when tired. If you feel too tired to drive, pull off the road. Trying to get home faster to beat falling asleep requires more effort to control the car.
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    Secure your passengers and equipment. Passengers, pets and paraphernalia can all distract you from driving if they aren't managed properly.
    • Teach your children not to distract you when you're driving. Buckle them up correctly and provide them with age-appropriate books and toys. If you still need to discipline them, pull off the road at a safe place.
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    • Keep the number of passengers to a manageable number and conversation with them to a reasonable minimum while on the road. If you need to tell them to be quiet, tell them.
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    • Secure your pet in a carrier or harness while you're driving.
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    • Prioritize your equipment according to how much you'll need it en route, and place the items you need most closest to you and those you need least furthest away. Make use of the storage compartments your car comes with (glove compartment, in-door compartments, center console, trunk); you can also purchase trunk and seat-back organizers.
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EditMethod 2 of 2: Avoiding Multitasking Mistakes

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    Use your cell phone only when stopped. While cell phone use has reached the point where 50 percent of drivers are on the phone during the day, studies have shown their ability to drive is compromised.
    • Using a hands-free phone does not reduce the level of distraction, as the driver is still involved in the phone call at the expense of paying attention to the road ahead.
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    • Worse than making a call while driving is using a cell phone to send text messages or reply to e-mails, as both hands may be taken from the steering wheel. One driver plowed his car into another vehicle in a rental-car lot while trying to steer with his wrists and knees while trying to make a call and text simultaneously.
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    • Calling or texting while driving may also be illegal, as many states have adopted laws against using a cell phone while driving.
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    Resist the urge to eat while driving. Eating involves not only putting food in your mouth, but often also first removing the wrapper it comes in. The time you think you'll save is often lost to the distractions it causes.
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    Primp before or after you drive. Putting on makeup or fixing your hair while driving invites distraction when you look into a makeup mirror instead of your rear view mirror. It's better to fix your makeup before you get into the car or plan to arrive at your destination early enough to fix it there.
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    Manage your music. While in the past, a car radio was your only option for background music on the road, today you can supplement it with tapes, CDs or MP3 players. Each can distract you if you don't plan for how to use it.
    • Set your radio preset buttons and use them when driving locally in place of the "Seek" function or tuning knob. On the road, use the "Seek" function instead of the tuning knob.
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    • If you have a lot of CDs, invest in a CD changer that permits you to have multiple CDs queued up instead of changing out a CD every time you've played it. Some CD changers go in your trunk, while others go in the vehicle console.
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    • If you use an MP3 player, set up a playlist for your favorite tunes so you don't have to scroll through menus as you drive. You can customize playlists according to the amount of time you'll be on the road if you know the playing times of your tunes.
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    • Whichever way you listen to music, keep the volume at a reasonable level so you can hear prospective danger as well as see it.
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EditWarnings

  • Don't take your problems out on the road. Road rage impairs your judgment and can be a bigger driving distraction that any of the other items listed above.

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Article Info

Categories: Defensive Driving Skills & Safety

Recent edits by: Rappitup1, Daniel Bauwens, KommaH

In other languages:

Español: Cómo evitar las distracciones durante la conducción, Deutsch: Wie man Ablenkungen beim Autofahren vermeidet

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