Although you cannot control the actions of other drivers, you are in complete control of what you do behind the wheel, how you drive, and how much attention you pay when driving. If you’re doing any of the following, you’re engaging in seriously dangerous activities.
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Wearing headphones
Headphones impede your focus and your hearing when you’re driving. If you can’t drive without music and your audio system is broken, use a Bluetooth speaker to connect to your smartphone. It’s a safer option than using headphones, according to AutoCar writer Ronan Glon.
Driving intoxicated
Whatever your poison, alcohol or drugs, driving while drunk or high is deadly. Driving while intoxicated can forever alter your life or the life of others.
Arguably as dangerous as driving while intoxicated is driving while you’re sleepy. Your reaction time is greatly impaired when you’re working on five or fewer hours of sleep.
Not buckling up
Wearing your seatbelt should be an automatic habit.
“Going belt-less is even more dangerous in a late-model car decked out with airbags. If you crash, you’ll be projected towards the steering wheel while the airbag is deploying in the opposite direction. That’s not a great recipe for survival,” Glon reports.
Depending on driver tech to do the work for you
The advanced driver-assist technologies work best when you are focused on driving. Right now, they aren’t designed to do all the work for you — they assist you with driving. That is why each system comes with a lengthy disclaimer. You have to be focused and aware even when your vehicle is equipped with the latest technologies.
Not securing your pet
There are plenty of harnesses, crates, and seatbelts designed to keep your furry family member safe on a drive. Not investing in something to help keep them from roaming the cabin can be a dangerous distraction.
To help keep you, your passengers, and other drivers around you safe, avoid these habits.
DeAnn Owens is a Dayton transplant by way of the Windy City, yet considers herself to be a California girl at heart even though she’s only visited there once. To get through the dreaded allergy season unique to the Miami Valley, she reads, writes, complains about the weather, and enjoys spending time with her husband, two sons, and their newest addition, a Boston terrier puppy that is now in charge of all their lives. In the future, she hopes to write a novel and travel through time. See more articles by DeAnn.
