If you asked someone if they think they’re a good driver, they’d likely say yes. If you asked them if they get distracted much while driving, they’d probably say no.
The truth is that neither answer may be as true as they believe. They likely get distracted a lot, and that makes them a potentially unsafe driver.
The moment someone becomes distracted, they are not nearly as safe as they were when they were fully focused on driving. When we talk about distraction, it covers much more than many realize.
Visual distraction
Most people take their eyes off the road multiple times during a journey, and sometimes they do so for longer than they realize. It might be for their GPS, a passenger or the snack they know is somewhere in their bag. This increases the chance they miss seeing something vital to driving safely.
Manual distraction
It’s a cold morning, so you turn on the heater as you start the car. Soon it becomes too warm for the layers you are wearing, so you take one hand from the wheel to remove your hat or scarf. Maybe you wriggle your arms out of your coat one at a time. If you do any of these things while moving, you reduce your ability to control your car. It’s the same when you remove a hand from the wheel for anything else, such as to adjust your seat.
Cognitive distraction
Most drivers do not spend every second of their trip thinking about the road conditions and the traffic around them. Their minds drift to other things, such as what’s for dinner, what the boss is going to say if they arrive late or what that text from their spouse really meant. Even if they are thinking about more driving-related things, such as when the car is due for a service, it can reduce their ability to stay safe.
Now that you can see how easy it is for drivers to become distracted, you can see why distraction is always worth exploring if you are making a case against another driver who injured you in a collision.