Do you ever wonder how much attention you’re really paying to the road when driving? The answer might surprise you because there are a lot of factors and variables that can take away from your focus when you are driving. Let’s explore some of the issues that you need to be aware of here.
Are You Actively Thinking?
When you’re driving, do you actively think about what’s happening on the road around you? In most cases, the answer is probably no and this means that you are likely on autodrive. You know roughly where you’re going and what you’re doing so your brain starts to focus on other things. If you have indepth thoughts while you’re driving, likely, you’re not paying that much attention at all. This can lead to you making crucial mistakes. It’s particularly common on a highway, particularly, if you have already set the car for cruise control. That’s just one less thing that you need to focus on.
Instead, you do need to push yourself to try and focus more on the road around you rather than letting your mind wander. If you don’t do this, then you could be in an accident before you even notice there’s a hazard.
Force Of Habit
Habit is an amazing thing. It’s easy to start a habit and far more difficult to break one. So, what type of habits can you pick up when driving? Well, you can develop bad habits when driving. One of the most common bad habits would be braking late and hard. This is an issue as it doesn’t give you much time to respond to a hazard. It’s also not particularly fuel efficient.
However, habits can also be far larger. For instance, you might drive to work each day along the same route. If that’s the case, then you can sink into the same routine each morning. Indeed, this routine could become so embedded in your mind, you won’t be prepared for unexpected changes. These could be incredibly small changes that have a massive impact such as a road being closed. If you’re not prepared for this, you could plough straight into the barricade. It’s another reason why you need to pay more attention when driving.
Conversations
It’s illegal in most states to use your phone while driving. However, research shows that if you are having a full blown conversation with someone next to you while driving or in the backseat, then this can be just as distracting. If you do this, then you end up dooring a cyclist. Opening a door in the path of a cyclist is called dooring. Doorings can result in death so it’s definitely something that you need to be aware of. You could also make another crucial mistake like running a stop sign.
We hope this helps you understand some of the things that you need to consider in terms of paying the right level of attention while driving on the road. If you correct your behavior, you could potentially prevent a nasty accident.
