Types of Driving Distractions
October 19, 2011
Photo: iStockphoto
After watching cars crawl past a police car with its emergency lights on the other evening, I've been thinking about distractions that may affect us while driving. According to CAA, there are three different types of distractions. There are physical distractions which cause a driver to take his/her hands off the wheel. There are cognitive distractions, described as activities that take the driver's mind away from the road. And finally, there can be a combination of both which may take hands, eyes and mind off the road.
In the first category of physical distractions, are weather, applying makeup/combing hair, eating, or smoking. In the cognitive category, I'd put emotional state/stress, music and cell phone use. As far as combination distractions, there are many! These can include billboards/animation (or other object outside of the vehicle), reading, reaching for an object inside the vehicle, conversations with passengers/pet management, 'events' outside the vehicle (such as a collision, or police car pulled over) and navigation/complicated computer system screens.
Why do we care? Because this can be a safety issue, and just being aware of these can help you mitigate any issues.
Why do we care? Because this can be a safety issue, and just being aware of these can help you mitigate any issues.
Are there any you would add?
Do you find yourself easily distracted while driving?
Follow this link for information on distracted driving laws in Canada (by province).
- Erin F.
That's a mold-breaker. Great tihkning!
Posted by: Jetsin | December 06, 2011 at 03:14 AM
Excellent information here. This interesting post made me smile. Maybe if you put in a couple of pics it will make the whole thing more interesting.
Posted by: babyjojo | December 07, 2011 at 09:02 PM