Kentucky drivers like you understand driving distracted is a risk. But do you know what behaviors constitute distracted driving? Some things may surprise you. Others are well-known distractions.
Of these distractions, you can divide many of them into three categories. These make up the biggest risk to drivers like you.
Categories of distraction
The National Safety Council looks into common driver distractions. These distractions fall into three categories, which are:
- Visual distractions
- Cognitive distractions
- Physical distractions
How do these distractions impact drivers?
Visual distractions will take your eyes off the road. These distractions exist inside and outside of your car. For example, you may end up distracted if your pet moves suddenly in the back seat. You could get distracted by another crash in a different lane. This leads to “rubbernecking”, or looking away from the road to observe something else.
Cognitive distractions include anything that takes your mind off of driving. This is a huge category that many distractions from other categories can fit into. This can include listening to songs on the radio. It includes holding conversations with passengers. It even includes listening to your GPS navigation. Fortunately, most drivers can multitask. But this does not mean cognitive distractions cannot pose a risk to you.
Physical distractions take your hands away from the wheel. This happens most often if you eat or drink while driving. It is not illegal to do this. But it is highly discouraged by law enforcement. You should not reach over to pick anything off of the floor or seats, too. Taking even one hand from the wheel reduces your chance of reacting to a crash scenario in time.
