The worst part of any commute is contending with the rest of the drivers around you. You have to keep your wits about you and focus on what you’re doing or else you might end up in a car accident you can’t afford.
Florida’s problems with distracted drivers are well-documented, and the state maintains a campaign to help mitigate the dangers of distracted driving. Their view is that all distracted driving falls into three categories: not watching the road (visual), not holding the wheel (manual) and not thinking about the drive (cognitive). Knowing the classifications doesn’t keep you safe on its own, you must take action.
Manageable actions
There is a great deal of advice out there for avoiding distractions, sometimes this advice is doable, but often all the precautions in the world can’t stop you from reacting to a text alert. In that case, you have a few of options:
- The space between: Leaving a lot of space between you and the car ahead of you, even in a traffic jam, is a great idea because it allows you more time to make decisions and takes the pressure off you.
- Get a focus assist: a new device recently added to the market uses facial recognition technology to help keep the driver’s attention on the task at hand. In the very near future, self-driving technology may become an industry standard further helping your focus.
- Keep alert and awake: One of the most common distractions for drivers is driving while tired. Make sure you have had plenty of rest and are ready for the length of your drive whenever you get behind the wheel.
By taking care of yourself, keeping your eyes, hands and mind on the drive, you can help make the roads across Florida safer.
You can’t plan for everything
Even if you take every action to protect yourself, you are still only one person and so driving anywhere carries a risk. If you are hurt in an accident because of a distracted driver you have legal options you should consider.
