Distracted driving awareness safety talk
Distracted driving affects each of us. It can be common to arrive at a destination after talking on the phone and not remember the drive there or stopping at a previous stop sign. Unfortunately, it can also be common to see a vehicle driving erratically on the road and notice when passing them the driver was distracted in some way or another.
Activities that take your hands, mind or eyes from the wheel (some do more than one or all three):
- Talking and texting
- Eating
- Reaching for something
- Grooming
- Reading
- Radio or navigation
- Watching a video
Tips to avoid distracted driving:
- Use hands free devices when a call must be taken in the car and if possible, pull over
- Completely refrain from texting while driving
- Set up automatic messages and have phone alerts turned off while driving
- If taking time to get food, pull over and park to eat
- Get anything that may be needed during the drive organized before heading out and within easy reach
- Give ample preparation time for grooming or other planning activities to avoid feeling the need to do these tasks in the vehicle
- Pull over to physically read anything such as directions or messages
- Set up radio and navigation before leaving
- Wait to watch any videos until safely parked
If driving with a passenger, task them with anything that may be a distraction from the road.
