Most drivers on the road would say they consider themselves to be safe motorists. But that doesn't mean they drive safely by any means, they assume that because they have not been in an accident that they must be doing things right. However, having not been in an accident should not be what determines a safe driver from an unsafe one.
Here are 10 of the most common and dangerous
things a motorist can do on the road. Hopefully, none your children will engage
in any of these activities, and if they do will correct their ways once
instructed to do so.
#1. Reading: There are very few things
that are as dangerous for drivers than reading while behind that wheel. Whether
that be a text, magazine, book, or any other material that can be held. It robs
you of your focus, attention, sight, and ability to respond quickly when the
need arises. So if you have any regard for your life, or anybody else, you
will avoid reading while driving. You would also do well to tell others you
know who read while they drive to cease, as it is perhaps the most dangerous
act a person can partake in while behind the wheel.
#2. Texting: Everybody knows writing and
reading texts are dangerous when driving, yet countless people continue to do
it. It not only steals your attention, it robs your site from the road and
hands from the wheel. When you are concentrated on your phone, for that
instant, there is nothing else on your mind. Meanwhile you are barreling down
the road in a multi-ton vehicle, and it is at this point that chance alone
keeps you from an accident. If you text and drive, you should be ashamed and
cease immediately.
#3. Driving With Your Knees: Driving
with your knees is a very poor driving habit. Generally people drive with their
knees while they do something else, which is always unnecessary and dangerous.
By never driving with your knees, you will be avoiding an inevitable accident.
#4. Driving With A Dog Or Child In Your Lap:
You see this one happening all the time, someone driving with their dog in lap
petting and adoring it, and allowing it to stick its nose out the window and
let its ears blow in the wind. These days we often see children sitting in laps, the adult in question probably means well, allowing the
youngster feel what its like to control an automobile. But driving with a dog
or a child on your lap allows for nothing but potential disaster. Dogs are
uncontrollable and unpredictable, and allowing them free reign in a vehicle is
a mistake, and in some places against the law. There are safety measures you can
take to help in traveling with dogs. For children, its simply illegal and
unsafe to transport a child in a car without an appropriate car seat.
#5. Driving With Headphones: There are only
two ways we are able to determine what is going on around us when we drive,
those being sight and sound. If you are driving with headphones or ear buds in,
you are tossing your sense of sound out the car window. You may wonder how deaf
people drive then. Well, they are used to being deaf, and are more alert as a
result. Someone who wants to listen to Terry G or Timaya with headphones while
driving probably isn't used to not hearing what is going on around them. They
are not used to the lack of surrounding sounds and as a result are probably
not as focused as they need to be.
#6. Changing Clothes: There is not a
single article of clothing that should be put on while driving. That's it.
Changing clothes involves taking your foot off the brake, hands off the
steering wheel, and eyes off the road. Not to mention there are very few with
the skill of an escape artist such as Houdini, so if you become entangled in
your clothes while changing, there's a decent chance you won't escape
unscathed.
#7. Putting On Makeup: Ladies, we all
want you to look pretty too. But putting on your makeup while driving is a
danger not worth risking. Is it that bad to wait till you get to where you are
going to put on your face? If you get into an accident as a result of doing
this, you may not have a face to dazzle up anyhow. The process of putting on
makeup allows for many opportunities for something to enter your eye and blind
you. So again, be patient and either be late to where you are going by doing
your makeup beforehand, or do it once you arrive at your destination.
#8. Grabbing Something Out Of Reach:
We've all had moments where we want something from the back seat, on the floor,
or in a purse, but only the most daring would twist their whole bodies around
to fetch it. At this point you are driving distracted and have no ability to
see what is occurring on the road, nor do you have your hands properly placed
on the steering wheel to respond to something if it were to happen. Patience is
a virtue, and you have to remain alive to be virtuous, so be patient, and wait
until it is safe to pull off the road to retrieve your items.
#9. Eating: Now, for most people, eating
out of a bag of chips or an apple in itself may not cause an accident. But if
your child's driving skills are already weakened by a learning disability, this
is certainly more risky. That moment when your child sighs and looks down
because she's spilled sauce on herself is a moment she is not paying attention.
That moment can often be the difference between life and death.
#10. Road Raging: People driving while
they are upset is a common occurrence. Think of how many people become upset
and go for a drive to think and mull it over. You don't have to have been upset
by another driver to experience road rage. You simply must be in a negative
mindset. Driving in this state is dangerous and causes distraction, which, in
turn, affects a driver's ability to concentrate. If you do become upset with
another driver, you may tend to start driving aggressively. This situation is
an accident waiting to happen. So before you start driving, or even in the
midst of driving, be sure you are calm and collected. There is no need to put
anyone's life in danger because you are having a bad day. Also, check out these
tips to avoid being a victim of road rage.
CREDIT
Some
Materials from Damien S. Wilhelmi were used
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