Distracted Driving Kills and Maims
Maintaining focus on the driving task is of the utmost importance when operating a motor vehicle. Engaging in tasks that require a visual-manual interaction, such as reaching for a phone, dialing, and texting, increases the risk of getting into a crash by 300%. 80% of all crashes, and 65% of all near-collisions occur within 3 seconds of a driver distraction.
There are 4 types of distractions that increase crash risk while driving:
- Manual – involves touching something, like dialing a phone or changing radio stations.
- Visual – involves looking at something, like a phone display or a billboard.
- Auditory – involves listening to something, like a conversation or music.
- Cognitive – involves thinking about something than driving the vehicle.
How to reduce Distracted Driving
- Adjust seat positions and mirrors before you begin driving.
- Before driving, become familiar with your vehicle controls, A/C, windshield wipers, etc.
- Avoid eating and drinking while driving.
- Do not answer or initiate cell phone calls without pulling over to the side of road safely and stopping.
- Never text while driving.
- Never speed. In is XPAT policy that you drive all company vehicles at 5 mph UNDER the posted speed limit.
You can read more of XPAT’s policies on Driving by downloading the Employee Handbook here. Remember that policies are just words on a piece of paper, and mean nothing if everyone doesn’t follow them! No XPAT job is so important that you can’t get to and from the job safely.
Conclusion
Distracted Driving costs lives, causes injuries and property damage. Stay alert and drive defensively at all times. The life you save is your own!
Questions
- Name a type of distraction that leads to distracted driving.
- How will you reduce distractions?