Roadside Chat – Pay attention to reach your destination
Munching, music, and maps, oh my! There are so many seemingly common things that you might do behind the wheel that can put you, your passengers, and everyone who shares the road with you in harm's way.
Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away from the task of driving. Activities can fall into one or more of these types of distraction:
- Visual Distraction – Anything that takes your eyes off the road such as checking your navigation system or searching for your car’s features like the windshield wiper lever.
- Manual Distraction – Anything that takes your hands off the wheel such as eating or adjusting the radio.
- Cognitive Distraction – Anything that takes your concentration away from driving such as talking to your passengers or getting angry with other drivers around you.
Any one of these types of distraction on their own can be unsafe. But the more things you do to take your focus off the task of driving increases the risk of a potentially deadly result.
Distracted driving really can be this ridiculous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJB-C0dElBc.
Thanks to Angie T. from Cedar Rapids for the nugget that inspired this message!
In 2024 in Iowa, 154 people have been killed in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of 4 since last Friday. In Iowa in 2023, there were 377 traffic-related deaths. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf