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The True Dangers of Multitasking Behind the Wheel
September 22, 2015, 3:27 pm
Operating your phone while driving is a criminal offence and can land you with a hefty fine, points on your licence and, in some instances, a prison sentence. The main reason for this activity being illegal is because of the huge scope for serious potential danger.
Driving while distracted is one of the main causes in road traffic collisions and many of them could easily be avoided. Here are the true dangers of trying to multitask when behind the wheel:
Multitasking Drivers are Four Times as Likely to Crash
A study by the Department for Transport in 2014 found that drivers who are multitasking behind the wheel (specifically using their phone) are four times as likely to have a crash that results in injuring or killing themselves and others.
Surprisingly, the study found that there was no significant reduction in risk when using hands-free phone devices. The reasoning for this is not so much the physical multitasking, but rather the mental distraction which divides the driver’s attention.
Negative Effects of Multitasking
You need to be paying full attention to the road and potential hazards when operating a vehicle, however multitasking can prevent you from effectively being able to do this. Some of the negative effects of this include:
- Less awareness of the road, other vehicles and driving conditions
- Failing to see road signs
- Erratically drifting between lanes or failing to maintain proper lane position
- Not maintaining a steady speed
- Slower reactions – taking longer to brake and stop
- Missing turnings, resulting in unsafe manoeuvres
This means that even the slightest unexpected occurrence can result in a collision as there is a significant delay in response time. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are at multitasking – it is physically impossible to drive at the same level as you do without these distractions.
Not Just Phones
There are many ways that you could be attempting to multitask when behind the wheel, not just talking or texting on your mobile phone. Some of the most common incidents are:
- Eating or drinking – most people don’t think anything about having a bite to eat or something (non-alcoholic) to drink when behind the wheel, but this can be very distracting, especially if it’s messy, taking away your full attention.
- Personal grooming – fixing makeup, shaving in the car, checking out your hair. All these are things that should be done out of the car, rather than zooming along the motorway at 70mph!
- Other distractions in the car – this could anything from stopping kids in the backseat from squabbling, trying to find something in your bag and even reading a book while driving!
A quick Google search will turn up hundreds of cases where someone has crashed as a result of one of the above. The lesson here is that other things can wait, pay attention to the road and wait until you’re out of the car to do whatever it is you wanted to do.
