As you drive, you may notice some people around you acting odd or swerving in and out of a lane.
This kind of reckless driving may happen because of distractions. Learning more about how these distractions can influence an accident can help you stay safe.
Handling food
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, actions like opening a soda can or tearing open a bag of potato chips can easily distract a person. Taking your hands off the steering wheel and moving your eyes from the road leads to a gap in your perception of oncoming traffic.
Even a second or two of hesitation at high speeds can cause a crash and major injuries. The more you focus on traffic pulling out in front of you or signaling to turn, the more you can avoid accidents.
Talking to other people
Whether you have passengers in your car or you are using a cell phone, holding a conversation can greatly impact your focus and concentration on the road. Even calm conversations make you think of other topics than driving, which can leave you trying to recall facts instead of paying attention to cars around you.
Holding a cell phone in one of your hands to text or call someone can also impact how quickly you react and steer.
Drowsiness
When you do not get enough sleep, you can often struggle to concentrate and stay at the proper speed limit. Even one bad night of sleep can impact how you drive and your sudden reactions to unexpected obstacles, like an object in the road or a driver merging into your lane.
Knowing more about distractions can help you pay attention to people driving you who exhibit signs of this issue.