Distracted driving causes many motor vehicle accidents. People in Georgia who are distracted in some way while they are behind the wheel may be more likely to have a wreck. Knowing the types of distracted driving may help you avoid or reduce some of these behaviors.
Letting go of the wheel
Anything that makes you take your hands away from the wheel of the car is one type of distraction. These manual distractions can include adjusting your radio or GPS. Smoking or eating while you are driving is also a manual distraction.
Looking away from the road
Some manual distractions may also involve a visual distraction. For example, if you are fumbling with the radio or GPS, you are probably also looking away from the road. Anything that causes you to stop paying attention to the road in front of you is a visual distraction.
When your mind is elsewhere
A cognitive distraction takes your mind off driving. Manual and visual distractions may be cognitive as well; however, there are other distractions that are purely cognitive. You might not think of having a conversation as a driving distraction, but it is. More serious cognitive distractions include driving while fatigued or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If you feel stressed or have road rage while you are driving, these can also be cognitive distractions.
Some distractions are inevitable. You will probably continue to have conversations with your passengers, and there may be times when you have no choice but to take your attention away from the road for a second or two. However, you can make an effort to cut back on some distractions by doing things such as pulling over when you need to make a phone call. This precaution makes it less likely that you will cause a serious auto accident or be involved in one. Whenever you’re behind the wheel, your full attention should be on the task at hand.