Billboards, a Cheeseburger, and … an Ostrich?: Limiting Driving Distractions to Improve Safety and Save Lives

When I was first beginning to drive, my mom warned me of the dangers of distracted driving and told me a story from when she was in college that taught her a lesson she has never forgotten. While driving down an empty highway one night, she was caught speeding and, as it was only her first offense, she was given the opportunity to attend driving school for a day in order to remove the incident from her record. At driving school the students were given a video to watch, recorded from the perspective of a driver navigating down an average suburban road, and tasked with identifying as many distractions as possible. Many students noticed that construction cones and flashing lights interfere with one’s ability to focus on driving, but it wasn’t until the instructor revealed that most of them had only identified one third of the distractions that they realized how many little things can cause a driver to take their eyes or mind off of the road. Nearly anything can be a distraction: blaring music, rowdy passengers, a squirrel crossing the road, eating a cheeseburger or applying mascara while driving (or really any sort of multitasking for that matter), roadkill on the side of the highway, billboards, confusing construction and flashing vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and the list could go on. My mom had never thought about how many things were fighting for her attention every time she was on the road, but after that day she began to be more aware of her surroundings and she made sure to pass that lesson on to me.

Driving is so common in our culture and so essential to our day-to-day lives that many people tend to forget how dangerous it can be. We allow ourselves to control vehicles with the ability to cause irreversible harm without stopping to consider the factors at play or the potential consequences. It is expected that the pilot of an airplane spends the entire flight focused solely on safely navigating the aircraft, and yet very few people focus solely on safe driving when they are behind the wheel. One of the best ways to change that is to identify what can take a driver’s eyes off of the road.

Many distractions are outside of the driver’s control, but it is still vital that they are acknowledged as distractions. It is extremely difficult for a driver to take in all that is happening outside of the vehicle and process what information is needed to navigate safely and what information has no impact on the current situation. Pedestrians, cyclists, construction, and billboards are all commonly present while driving and can draw the driver’s eyes and focus away from the road and the surrounding vehicles. Also, unusual circumstances can prove to be extremely distracting. Not long ago there was a situation in the city where I live where an ostrich was seen standing in the middle of a very busy road. It was later released that the large bird had escaped its transport vehicle while passing through town due to a faulty door and, with the help of multiple bystanders, was safely returned to its owner. An accident was thankfully averted, but many drivers were intrigued and confused, and very few of them were paying sufficient attention to the rest of their surroundings. Although this may be an extreme and rare situation, it serves as a reminder that anything can happen and it is vital to be aware while behind the wheel.

Other distractions, typically factors taking place inside of the vehicle, can be limited through the effort of the driver and other passengers. When traveling with my family it is common for one of my parents to be driving while the other is in charge of navigation, changing the radio station, adjusting the AC, and passing out snacks. Clearly it would be unsafe for the driver to be attempting to complete all of those tasks while behind the wheel, but it is far too easy for one request from a passenger to draw the driver’s attention away from where it should be. It is vital for passengers to be aware of this and to do their part in allowing the driver to focus solely on the task at hand. This also can look like creating an environment conducive to focus by limiting chaotic conversations or extremely loud music.

The video my mom watched at driving school back in the 90s highlighted a plethora of driving distractions but it didn’t include one of the most prevalent distractions in our modern culture: the cellphone. Calling and texting while driving is extremely dangerous and all too common. While texting may seem to be a simple and fast task, it is one of the leading causes of car accidents. Many states have laws regulating cell phone use while driving, sometimes specifically for teenage drivers, but although these laws help fight against the dangers of texting and cellphone use while driving, they alone aren’t enough to stop tragedy. Drivers need to be reminded of the extremely high risks associated with their phone and many people may find it helpful to place their phone in a bag or out of sight when they get in the vehicle so they aren’t tempted to access it. There are times and places for cell phone use, but while behind the wheel is certainly not one of them.

Working to minimize any and all of these distractions is one of the best ways for drivers to improve their safety behind the wheel, but simply being aware is also a huge step. When drivers, as well as passengers, are able to recognize distractions they are better able to assess the situation and stay focused on arriving at their destination safely. These steps can save lives and increase road safety for everyone involved.