DVIDS – News – Distracted Driving: A Safety Issue to Keep Eyes On

NORFOLK, Va. ─ The Naval Security Heart (NAVSAFECEN) reminds these throughout the Naval Enterprise that distracted driving continues to be a prevalent and dangerous subject nationwide. Distracted driving is available in many kinds and steering clear is critical always.

In line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), roughly eight individuals in the US die in crashes every day that reportedly contain a distracted driver. Distracted driving might be something that takes your consideration away from driving. Widespread examples embrace sending textual content messages, speaking on a mobile phone, utilizing a navigation system and consuming whereas driving. These are just some examples of distracted driving, however something that pulls your consideration away from the highway can endanger you, your passengers and others on the highway.

There are three predominant distractions: visible, guide and cognitive.

First, visible distraction is taking your eyes off the highway whereas driving, comparable to a passenger or a roadside distraction. When drivers take their eyes off the highway, even for a cut up second, they take their focus off the highway as effectively. It makes these distractions particularly harmful as a result of drivers can’t persistently assess their environment.

Second, guide distraction, is taking your arms off the steering wheel whereas driving, for any purpose, for any period of time. With out each arms on the wheel, your response time suffers alongside along with your potential to steer. Examples embrace consuming, consuming, smoking, adjusting the radio or doing one’s make-up. For those who have been doing any of those actions, and a deer darted out in entrance of you, it takes at the very least a second to carry your hand again, and in that prompt, you would crash proper into the deer. Not driving with two arms might trigger you to veer off the highway or into oncoming site visitors.

Third, cognitive distraction is taking your thoughts off driving. The CDC provides that sending or studying a textual content at 55 mph is like driving the size of a soccer subject along with your eyes closed. Cognitive distractions are deceivingly harmful as a result of you may appear like you’re doing every part proper. You have got your eyes on the highway and your arms on the wheel, however you’re nonetheless distracted in case your thoughts is drifting. Merely put, when one thing else has captured your consideration, you’ll seemingly have a tough time concentrating. You’ll not be as alert, which implies you’ll not be as secure. Examples of this habits embrace having a dialog on a hands-free machine, speaking to a passenger or listening to a podcast or audiobook.

What about texting? What sort of distraction is that this on a regular basis exercise? Texting is definitely the triple menace that falls into all three distraction classes. When utilizing your mobile phone, you not solely take your eyes off the highway, however you additionally take your arms off the wheel and thoughts off driving. The potential for demise when utilizing a mobile phone whereas driving has prompted the passing of legal guidelines, based on the Governors Freeway Security Affiliation (GHSA).

Many would possibly argue that they’re multi-taskers and may drive safely whereas doing a number of actions. Multi-tasking is a fantasy. The human mind doesn’t carry out two duties on the identical time. As an alternative, the mind handles duties sequentially, switching between one job and one other. The mind can juggle duties quickly, which leads us to consider falsely we’re doing two duties concurrently. In actuality, the mind is switching consideration between duties and performing solely one after the other.

Capt. Donald Pennington, Naval Station Norfolk Police teacher and NAVSTA Norfolk Secure Driving Council coordinator, reminds us that army bases have their very own extra guidelines as effectively. He notes the next from NAVSTANORINST 5100.12D, pg. 7: (e), which “prohibits the usage of any mobile phone/texting or driver’s distractions (i.e., consuming, making use of make-up, getting dressed, studying, and so forth.) whereas working a motorized vehicle on Naval Station Norfolk. Being cited for such whereas onboard the Naval Station Norfolk can have your driving privileges suspended for six months to indefinitely.”

Pennington encourages individuals to search for their army installations and their state’s steerage and insurance policies about working motor automobiles.

The next habits ought to turn out to be as computerized as placing in your seat belt and may also help maintain your self secure on the highway.

As soon as in your automotive, put your cellphone out of sight and out of attain, so you aren’t tempted to make use of it. If you must use a navigation app, use a splash mount so that you don’t have to take your arms off the steering wheel. Reap the benefits of the in-car system you probably have one. Most new automobiles provide voice instructions for paired telephones in addition to auto and carplay interfaces that resemble your cellphone’s display screen.

Drop the earbuds. Some drivers use them to reply calls in automobiles that lack Bluetooth or for listening to music. That isn’t secure. Lastly, should you should usually reply cellphone calls, put money into an aftermarket Bluetooth system. You’ll be able to keep hands-free and maintain your ears open. There are various choices on-line.

You observe the principles, however how do you retain your self secure from others who might disregard widespread sense and legal guidelines? Whereas on the highway, look ahead to erratic or inappropriate driving and provides these automobiles a large berth. This habits features a automotive that’s veering from edge to edge inside a lane or lacking site visitors cues, comparable to failing to speed up when a light-weight turns inexperienced, slowing and rushing up within the lane with out logic, driving the brakes or a driver whose head is down.

“I’ve additionally seen not too long ago that pedestrians in crosswalks are strolling distracted, truly texting and speaking on cell telephones whereas strolling,” stated Pennington. “This habits is extraordinarily harmful. Security falls upon everybody, driver and pedestrian. Wait till you will have turned your car off earlier than you place that decision, learn or reply to a textual content message or e-mail – save your cash and presumably somebody’s life.”

For extra distracted driving info, go to www.distraction.gov. Distraction.gov is the official U.S. authorities web site for info as regards to distracted driving. It accommodates statistics, legal guidelines, analysis, media and plenty of different sources on distracted driving. For a present record of distracted driving legal guidelines by state, view this GHSA chart which is updated as of April 2021: https://www.ghsa.org/websites/default/information/2021-04/DistractedDrivingLawChart-April21Edit3.pdf or the Nationwide Security Council web site’s instruments and sources at https://www.nsc.org/highway