Six Dangerous Driving Habits That Can Lead to Serious Injury

Many drivers today have adopted rather dangerous driving habits. In order to drive safely, it is necessary to keep your eyes and ears focused toward the road and your surroundings. However, many drivers participate in dangerous activities that pull their attention away from the road when they are behind the wheel. This can result in serious injury to the driver, passengers and others outside of your own vehicle. Here are some of the more dangerous driving habits that drivers may have.

Texting

When you text with your cellphone or smartphone, you inevitably are using at least one of your hands to text. Your eyes may dart back and forth between the road and your phone. In addition, your attention is focused on your phone rather than entirely on the road. This is a dangerous habit, and some areas have already made it illegal to text while driving.

Talking on the Phone

Just as texting and driving can be dangerous, the same holds true for talking on the phone and driving. When you talk on the phone, you may have one hand on your phone, and you may not be listening to the sounds of the road that may alert you to dangers around you. Even hands-free talking may be dangerous because you are not fully engaged in the activity of operating the vehicle.

Eating

There seems to be an almost endless number of fast food restaurants available to choose from, making it easy for drivers to pick up food to eat as they cruise down the road. However, this activity also pulls your attention away from the road, and it often requires one or even two hands to complete. More than that, some foods may drip or spill, which can cause further distraction.

Putting on Make-Up

Some women will take a moment while driving to touch up make-up while they are traveling to a location. In some cases, women will apply all of their make-up for the day while commuting to work. This requires the woman to look in the mirror, use hands to apply the make-up ad focus on herself rather than the road.

Shaving

Likewise, some men have adopted the habit of using an automatic or electric razor to touch up their shaving efforts in the car. This also requires the use of one hand, and it places attention on a mirror and the man’s face rather than the road. In addition, there is a sound from the electric razor that can drown out the sounds of the road that the driver needs to be paying attention to.

Smoking

Smoking is a very common habit for drivers, but it can be incredibly dangerous. Smoking requires the driver to use a flame to light a cigarette and to hold that lit cigarette for several minutes of time. The driver is essentially holding a lit object rather than putting both hands on the wheel. In addition, ashes from the cigarette can drop down onto the driver or the car, and this can be a serious distraction.

These are all dangerous habits that can result in serious injury. If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident due to someone else’s neglect, but sure to talk to a lawyer for the best outcome.

Informational credit to Bronson Jones & Co.