For your safety and the other commuters sharing the road in NSW, it is best to avoid getting distracted while driving. Safe driving requires your undivided attention, and any moment of lapse can lead to potentially damaging incidents. Even the slightest distraction may cause injury, fatality, and harm to yourself, co-passengers, and other third parties.
It is precisely why you need to have the best car insurance. While the mandatory CTP insurance covers third-party injuries/mortality, you will need added insurance to safeguard your damaged vehicle, third-party vehicle/property, legal liability, and more for covered events. Purchase a policy to reduce your financial burden during unanticipated road events.
For now, we have listed some of the most common distractions vehicle drivers may experience while driving on the road. Knowing a few factors that negatively affect vehicle driving can largely help the drivers overcome them and consequently the road risks.
Distractions are generally classified into three categories –
- Visual – Such distractions may cause the car drivers to take their sight off the road. For instance, it can be appealing scenery, an exciting place, a phone call, etc. The distracted person at the wheel may blindly drive on the road without taking notice of the surrounding traffic, animals, pedestrians, etc., and create much havoc by bumping into them or other properties. You can count mobile phones as one of the significant visual distractions increasing road risks.
- Physical – These distractions cause the vehicle driver to take their hands off the wheel. Eventually, the driver may lose control of the vehicle, not spot obstacles at the right time, or even if the driver detects an obstacle, they may have very little time to react and change the driving course. For instance, munching on a snack, passing a drink, swapping radio channels, and other activities that require you to use your hands.
- Perceptive – Distractions of this type lowers the vehicle driver’s focus on the driving task. An inattentive person is more at risk to meet accidents due to cognitive reasons. Also, drivers who talk on the phone, have conversations with co-passengers, argue through the journey, daydream, etc., are at high risk of encountering unfortunate road incidents.
How can mobile phones affect driving?
Whether or not you use hands-free mode, talking on a mobile while driving is risky. We can even say it can be as dangerous as drunk driving.
It is best to put the phone in silent or do-not-disturb mode while driving a car. In an emergency, you can always pull up the car towards the safe side of the road and answer the call.
Can there be any other distractions?
An insect zooming past your face while driving, vehicle horns of passing vehicles, sudden sun glare, etc. While many distractions are avoidable, some may not be.
One piece of advice for every person stationed at the wheel and driving is – “Don’t multitask”. Be aware of the happenings on the road; you can concentrate on other things once you have reached your destination and got off the vehicle.
Otherwise, you may have to deal with a lot of needless trouble. With car insurance NSW, you can avail of added protection to your vehicle in terms of financial protection for you if an accident occurs. At the same time, consider your needs, living circumstances, and affordability before purchasing the best car insurance.
