Distractions and Their Dangers

Kayla R. Musson

DmvEdu.org Scholarship

July 22, 2021

Distractions and Their Dangers

Newly found drivers teens and young adults are reminded often that they should not be distracted drivers. They are cautious while they are new to the experience. However, as they get more and more confident in driving they will start to relax and begin to think that perhaps all of their teachers and guardians were evaluating. They might ignore the safety tips they have been given every once and a while. These brief moments can be forgiven when done unintentionally or absent-minded, It is important to remember that when these mistakes become a habit they can place the driver and passengers in danger. Distractions are one of the leading causes of accidents in vehicles. Drivers can not forget the dangers of certain distractions, be them the more discussed like technology and devices, and passengers or the lesser discussed like heightened emotions or fatigue.

The most discussed of these distractions are cell phones and social media. Nearly everyone has heard the, “Don’t Text And Drive” advertisements. However, sometimes people still tend to think the danger is exaggerated and continue to text whenever a notification appears. It only takes a few seconds away from the road for an accident to occur. While texting is the most publicized as dangerous others are just as dangerous. Struggling to reach one’s phone while it’s ringing or to change the music could cause the driver to turn the vehicle when they did not intend to. Perhaps causing them to cross over to the other side of the road while another driver was driving towards them. That would not only cause the driver to get hurt but they could also hurt the other person without meaning to do it. When someone is on a call with their friend, family, or on a professional call they should be very careful to stay vigilant to the task at hand and not to get distracted by the conversation.

While having passengers in the car is practical and sometimes unavoidable there are certain dangers to having friends and family in the car with the driver. Passengers would hopefully not distract the driver intentionally but perhaps by asking an abundance of questions, pointing out the scenery outside of the car, or simply telling a particularly engaging story the passenger could unintentionally pull the driver’s attention away from driving. The best way for the driver to avoid this problem is, to be honest with themselves and the passengers. The safety of the Driver and the passengers is the top priority above all else. When the drive gets boring there are other ways to entertain such as listening to music or podcasts on the radio, one should never sacrifice safety for entertainment. If the driver realizes they are being distracted by one of their passengers they should say, “I’m sorry, but I need to focus right now can we just listen to the radio?” or something to that extent. Another drawback to having passengers is the possibility of an argument arising and the emotional toll that it can bring.

Emotional distractions are not discussed as much as other distractions. However, the effects they can have are just as important as any of the others. One needs to think clearly to maintain control of a vehicle. When emotions, expressly negative emotions, are heightened the human brain has trouble thinking rationally. Suppose the driver has witnessed or was a part of an emotional argument, and decides to take a drive to clear their mind. As they drive they would find that it would be hard to focus and that their heartbeat is refusing to calm causing them to become anchos. This mindset will cause a driver to make mistakes that would have been obvious to them in their normal mindset. When one is driving it is important that they keep in mind their surroundings and what is in front of them, if they have a lot on their mind they should wait and sort their thoughts out before they drive so as not to put themselves and others in danger.

Distractions are natural when driving. The driver must be mindful of them and avoid the ones that they can to be safe. A few of the distractions are discussed often but they still are massive issues and the effects are massive, such as phones and media, passengers both well and ill-meaning, and emotional turmoil and distress. As important as these reminders and warnings are, it is all useless without the driver knowing and understanding them. They must remember it is not only their life that is in their hands, but it is the lives of their passengers and all the lives which can be affected if a moment of carelessness becomes a tragedy.