People rightly campaign against drunk driving as it is very dangerous and poses a public health risk. There should also be as much public awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. 

Texting while driving, as well as other things that compete for your attention, can be just as dangerous as drunk driving and is more pervasive. The statistics back this up, too.

Until you own a self driving car, you should be focusing on driving. In the city or on the highway, it is important to you and the other drivers on the road, particularly truck drivers to be alert and ready to react in a dangerous situation. 

Trucks can’t react quickly to a car that moves erratically and can cause a huge accident. Lawyers like Lamber Goodnow are busy with distracted driving truck accidents because of this. 

Read on for some tips on how to avoid distracted driving.

Don’t multitask

A lot of people think they are good at multitasking. Trying to maximize productivity is not a bad thing, unless you are behind the wheel of the car, that is. Most people, in fact, are not actually good at multitasking so they end up a danger on the roads as they try to use their time for many things.

Don’t try to put on makeup or any grooming while driving. Leave that text message for later. Eating breakfast should be done before you get into the car.

Just focus on driving.

Put the phone away

Out of sight and out of mind applies very well to you and your phone.

Put it in the glove box so you aren’t tempted to look at the texts coming in. Even checking your Facebook page while sitting at a red light is not good to do either. If you put your phone away and make sure it stays there, it will become a habit to not use it while driving.

What if a call comes in that you need to take? Nothing is that important that you need to use your phone while driving. If you are waiting for an important call and are going to be driving for awhile, take a break and visit a rest area and then check your phone or make that call.

Keep kids and pets secure

Kids bouncing around in the back seat and a dog that insists on sitting on your lap are a distraction that you need to control. Your kids need to be secured in car seats until they are around ten years old anyway. But even then, you need to make sure they are strapped in and won’t be moving around the car.

Pets should also be strapped in to a back seat so they can’t roam around the car. If you are always trying to control their movements while you are driving then you are not in control of your car.

Set up GPS before you go

Typing your destination into a GPS while you are driving is exactly the same as texting. It only takes a couple of seconds with your eyes off the road to cause a serious accident. 

Have your coordinates all sorted out before you go so you don’t have to do it while behind the wheel. If you have to change the coordinates, then pull over to a safe spot and do it while you are parked.