The Truth About Driving Distractions [Infographic]

If you’ve been reading Bit Rebels for a while, you probably know that I live in Atlanta. Two days ago, there was a woman driving down the highway here while making a salad in her car. I’ve heard of people eating burgers and talking on the phone while driving, and I even wrote about this crazy driver who was caught reading a book, using his iPad and talking on the phone all at the same time while driving…but making a salad? That salad-making driver must have been really hungry. She was steering with her knee while cutting up her salad vegetables with a knife on a cutting board. I’m not here to judge anyone, but wtf? I’ve heard of driving distractions, but that’s over the edge.

I’m the first to admit, I’m a bad driver. If I’m not 100% paying attention to my driving, there is a good chance I’ll bump into something with my car. Thinking about all this prompted me to write about driving distractions today. This infographic called The Truth About Driving Distractions by DriveSense breaks down the four types of driving distractions we all encounter pretty much every day. There are visual distractions, auditory distractions, physical distractions and cognitive distractions (yup, even thinking about something other than driving can be one of our driving distractions).

You might think that our smartphones are the main culprit, but as it turns out, there are many non-tech driving distractions too. When was the last time you got distracted by messing with the GPS (happened to me last weekend) or putting on your make-up? An accidental spill can be a huge driving distraction. Nothing will make you take your eyes off the road faster than spilling a cup of coffee in your lap or dumping a chocolate milkshake on the gear shift (been there done that). Remember, an accident can happen if you take your attention off the road for only two or three seconds. For your own safety, and the safety of everyone around you, please try to keep your driving distractions to a minimum. Oh, and to that salad-making driver, do you grill steaks while driving down the highway too? Just curious.