(Series: 10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving)
Most drivers rate their driving safety by how few accidents in which they have been involved. However, that is not what distinguishes a safe driver from an unsafe one. In this series, we present 10 dangerous actions that drivers commonly do. Follow BJI on Facebook and Twitter so you can check out each action and see how safe a driver you are.
Part 1: Reading while Driving
Can you picture a person driving down the highway while reading a big newspaper that blocks their view? While you might not imagine that a person could be so foolish, consider that people drive and read quite often – and it’s dangerous. Text messages. Checking a magazine. Checking Google Maps. They all distract you from focusing on the road and just 2 seconds distraction doubles your chance of being in or near a crash.
Avoid reading while driving, and, if you know others who do so, urge them to stop. If you child(ren) fuss, share statistics to help them understand. (See our next post: “Texting While Driving”.) If they do not listen, take away the keys. If you or your children need directions, pull over to start Google maps and use the speaker function instead of looking at the screen.
Choose to drive safely. Drive focused, not distracted.