Distracted Drivers!
Posted on August 10, 2010
Filed Under Consumer Protection
There is no argument against the fact that Americans are increasingly busy and our laundry lists have just gotten longer. We can all agree that 24 hours in one day simply isn’t enough sometimes! We do our part and lend a helping hand when we can. One example is choosing to drive a Ford Escape Hybrid so that there are less emissions going into the environment. Or perhaps you visited Seattle Nissan and checked out their used car inventory. It is a great time to buy used, especially with places like VW Arizona carrying less new inventory and trying not to flood the market with new cars that won’t sell. There are many things that you can successfully multi-task, such as household chores or tasks at work. But one thing that state governments are passing laws on are multi-tasking while you are behind the wheel. Several states already have legislation on the books against talking on a cell phone or texting while driving, but what are some other sources of distraction that driver’s need to be a little more cautious of.
This problem has become so common that the U.S. Department of Transportation has an entire website devoted to the topic of distracted drivers! They break it down into three main sources or types of distraction that drivers fall victim to. First, there is visual distraction, which simply involves taking your eyes off the road. Think about how often you do that and the reasons you find yourself doing that. Second, there is manual sources of distraction. This could be as simple as changing the radio station, but the U.S. DOT says it is manual distraction whenever your hands are removed from the steering wheel. Lastly, there are cognitive sources of distraction, and this involves whenever your brain is not focused on what you are doing, which in this context is driving. Think of how many times you have driven someplace familiar and not really been conscious of what you are doing because your brain goes into auto-pilot and suddenly you are at your destination; it can be scary!
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