Distracted driving causes needless accidents and deaths every year. The most common form is texting while driving. The following article will illustrate the different types of driving distractions, enlighten you about some alarming statistics on distracted driving and link the Canadian distracted driving laws for all provinces.

When a person wakes up in the morning they don’t say to themselves, “Gee, I think I will run a red light today” or “let’s see who I can piss off today”. If a person is driving poorly, it is usually the result of oblivious behaviour, they just don't realise what was wrong until it's too late. At times, for a multitude of reasons, we can get distracted. When this occurs, our driving suffers and accidents can happen. Current legislation has passed distracted driving laws in every province to save lives.

  

Focus on driving while driving! Yes, it sounds silly but in a split second, we can get distracted. We must stay alert: scan intersections, keep our eyes moving and anticipate others actions.

  

There are three main types of distraction:

• Visual—taking your eyes off the road
• Manual—taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive—taking your mind off what you are doing

  

While any of these distractions can endanger the driver and others, statistics prove that texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all three types of distraction.

  

Driving distractions come in many forms “before” we get in the vehicle:

• Having a fight with someone important in our lives
• Being tired or sick
• Hungry or low blood sugar
• Being too excited about something
• Being anxious about your destination
• Having to go to the washroom
• Late for an appointment or pick-up

  

Driving distractions come in many forms “after” we get in the vehicle:

• Eating or drinking
• Getting into a song on the radio
• Grooming: fixing hair or makeup
• Turning on the air conditioning
• Kids arguing in the car
• Letting other drivers aggravated you while you drive
• Dropping an item like a coffee, a CD, a smoke etc…
• Answering a cell phone or dialling and especially texting while driving
• In-depth conversations
• Receiving last minute instructions on your destination from a passenger or GPS

  

The bottom line is anything that takes our attention away from driving may lead to an accident, injury or even death to you or others. Distracted driving laws have been put in place to protect Canadians. Don't let yourself become a distracted driver statistic: you must concentrate on the task at hand - Driving!

  

Anticipate others actions:

• The parked vehicle may pull out
• A vehicle isn’t slowing and may run through the stop sign
• The sun will be in your eyes when you turn the corner (so put the visor down before you turn)
• Vehicles may not leave your blind spot once they have entered
• Vehicles that may run a red light
• That pedestrian may step out in front of me

  

If you are being active and anticipating you will have a plan of what to do. To be proactive we need to be aware of what is 360° around our vehicle at all time and always have an escape route.

  

Know what is happening around the vehicle:

• Watch for vehicles running red lights
• Vehicle not coming to a stop behind you when you are stopping
• Bicyclists
• Motorbikes
• Pedestrians
• Objects entering and passing through blind spots

  

Intersections are high collision areas, don't get distracted here. Scan those intersections before you enter. When we say intersections, we mean all intersections!

• Ones with traffic lights
• Ones with stop signs
• All side streets
• Alleys
• Anytime one road intersects with another

  

Keep your eyes moving! At first it can be overwhelming looking well ahead and checking your mirrors. Scanning is so important:

• Check your mirrors regularly! Pay extra attention if you’re planning on slowing, changing lanes or turning
• Do shoulder checks
• Scan all intersections
• Scan parked around and between parked cars
• Scan crosswalks and be looking for bicycles
• Scan anything that could possibly interfere with where you are traveling such as someone coming out of an ally, coming out of a side street or from a blind hill or corner

Distracted driving laws dictate that ultimately, YOU are responsible for your driving!

  

Look at it like this: When you are looking, you are taking frames of information. All these frames make up a movie that is constantly being updated. You need to always be updating this movie with new frames. This is done by looking in the mirrors, scanning the road, looking well ahead. Taking all these individual frames helps make a complete picture of what is around your vehicle. Always update your movie!

Soon, it will become second nature and you will just be doing it and taking in information. It will become more relaxing and casual. You will begin to take in more information the more you practice. Being aware will save your life. Being a distracted driver can cause you or an innocent victim to lose their life. Being a good driver is more than being able to keep it between the lines.

Driving is truly one of the most awesome responsibility’s we will ever have and this requires maturity to recognize. It can be a key to our independence. The skills we learn must be consciously practiced every time we get behind the wheel or over time, we can develop “bad habits” that will distract you from driving. Distracted driving laws attach serious penalties to these "bad habits". Do not take these obligations lightly as the consequences of your actions can be life changing.

  

Statistics on Distracted Driving

  

80% of collisions and 65% of near crashes have some form of driver inattention as contributing factors (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010)

International research shows that 20% to 30% of all collisions involve driver distraction (Alberta Transportation, 2011)

Distracted drivers are 3 times more likely to be in a crash than attentive drivers (Alberta Transportation, 2011)

  

For more information about distracted driving laws in your province, please click on Canadian distracted driving laws

  

It’s not whose fault the accident was, but how it could have been avoided.