Distracted Driving Program Recap

Thank you to Noelle Santos from the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey for presenting some facts and tips related to distracted driving.  For many of us, our lives continue to become busier and our focus is pulled in multiple directions at once, even when we are driving.  From the near omnipresence of distractions of our cell phones, to the screens within our vehicles, to the millions of thoughts in our heads, it can be very difficult to stay focused on driving safely, especially if we believe we have mastered the art of multitasking.  In reality, we may not be as safe as we think so let’s take a look at some types, causes, and ways to limit distracted driving.

Causes of Crashes

Not all car accidents or incidents involving a car are the result of distracted driving.  While many crashes are caused by driver errors (inattention, distractions, speeding, etc.), some are caused by issues beyond our control, such as environmental factors (rain/snow, debris, road conditions) or vehicle problems (tires/wheels, brakes).  94% of crashes, however, are avoidable.  In some instances, we are not at fault and the cause of the crash is the result of someone else; odds are that people was distracted.  The easiest thing we can do to prevent crashes is to pay attention to our surroundings and limit the number of distractions.

Types of Distractions

There are generally 3 types of distractions that can impact our driving: visual, manual, and cognitive.  Visual distractions occur any time we take our eyes off the road and can include looking at our phone, screens in our vehicle, or dropping something.  Manual distractions occur any time we take our hands off the wheel to do something else, such as eating/drinking, pressing buttons or turning nobs, getting things out from a bag or purse, applying makeup, or combing/brushing our hair.  Cognitive distractions occur when we take our mental focus off of driving, such as not paying attention, daydreaming, conversing with others, or thinking about life/work/school; in many instances we are preoccupied with things that cause us stress.

We can experience distractions of different types at the same time; in fact, most crashes involving distracted driving are a results of the combination of 2 or 3 types of distraction.  As mentioned before, we may feel that we are good at multitasking, but in reality, the brain is incapable of performing 2 or more tasks simultaneously.  The brain can juggle tasks rapidly and give the illusion of true multitasking, but its just that, an illusion.

Tips for Staying Safe

Its much easier to say “avoid distractions” than it is to actually do it.  However, we can take some steps to limit the number of distractions that can affect us while driving.  The easiest thing we can do is set our phones to “Do Not Disturb”.  However, if you need to pay attention to messages, calls, or other notifications from your device, make sure we have Bluetooth enabled and utilize the device hands-free.  Before leaving, make sure addresses are loaded into your GPS and podcasts or other media is playing in the car; the less fiddling around during your drive, the better!

While driving, be sure to look around your surroundings for other vehicles, especially large trucks or motorcycles.  In urban or suburban areas, be aware of pedestrians, cyclists, or those riding on objects such as e-scooters or skateboards.  Follow all posted signs (technically a distraction in themselves) be aware of important laws in your state regarding sharing the road, school buses, and emergency vehicles.  Remember, it might not be you that’s distracted so constant vigilance is very important to try and stay safe on the road.

More Information

If you would like more information on distracted driving or road safety, please visit Jersey Drives, the road safety part of the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey.  You can view a recording of the program on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/fBGFaSJenGk.  You can also download a copy of the presentation slides at https://www.njstatelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BIANJ-Distracted-Driving-Presentation.pdf.  If you have any questions, please contact Noelle Santos at nsantos@bianj.org.