Eighty percent of American drivers believe hands-free devices are safer than handheld. That is not the case. More than thirty studies show hands-free devices are no better since the brain remains distracted by the conversation. When talking on a phone, drivers can miss seeing up to half of what’s around them; traffic lights, stop signs, and pedestrians to name a few. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is a leading cause of auto accidents and crash fatalities.
Hands-Free REALITY
- Hands-free features in dashboards increase mental distraction
- Using voice-to-text is more distracting than typing texts
- Drivers who text with their hands or voice keep eyes on the road less often and have reaction times twice as slow.
Safety On the Road
Access more information on Distracted Driving and safety resources from The National Safety Council you can share with others.
Breaking the Habit
The ringing of a phone or pinging of a text creates irresistible urges for many people to answer respond. To avoid these temptations:
- Turn off your phone, or put it on DO NOT DISTURB, before driving.
- Toss your cell phone in the trunk or glove box.
- Pre-set your navigation system and music playlists before driving.
- Schedule stops to check voicemails, emails and texts.
- Set special ring tones for important incoming calls, and pull off to a safe place to take them.
- Tell coworkers, family and friends not to call or text you when they know you’re driving.
- Start all conference calls by asking if anyone is driving, and have them call back when they are in a safe location.
- Install an app on your phone that disables it while your vehicle is in motion.
- Ask a passenger to answer incoming calls and say, “You’ll call back when not driving.”
- Change your voicemail greeting to tell people that you may be driving and you’ll call them back when you can safely do so.
Find this article useful?
- Forward to your coworkers or friends using the email button below.
- Share it on Facebook or Twitter. Links below.
- Check out other Transportation Insurance posts.
- Join our mailing list.
Comments are closed.