Car Safety - Focus On Your Driving!
Ever been in a collision with another vehicle? If it was your fault, what was your excuse? I will bet that you actually did not see the other vehicle coming. And most probably, the other driver did not notice you too. No matter how good your ratings are in driving school and in your test, once you get used to driving, you would often forget the most basic rule when on the road – look every way!
When you drive to work, the most likely cause of your inattention would be the myriad of thing running through your head; that would include how to get through traffic jams, get to the office on time, and start on that project that was due yesterday morning. When you drive home from the office, inattention may be caused by exhaustion from a hard day’s work. Nevertheless, any excuse for not paying attention is unforgivable; you are not only endangering your life, but the lives of other drivers and pedestrians as well.
A car is already heavy by itself; now imagine if you put more force into it by moving fast – that’s equal to thousands of pounds of energy depending on what your speed is. This energy is powerful enough to eject you from your car or kill someone that you crash into. Remember the rules of defensive driving? Always look, identify and veer away from dangers present on the road. If you are caught unawares, how are you going to have enough time to react accordingly? For instance, in heavy traffic, we often find ourselves trying to kill some time by making a list of the things we need to do in our heads. It would be fine if we do not move the vehicle while thinking, a honk from the car behind you could easily fix that. However, if you try to multi-task by ticking off your list and stepping on the gas pedal, a slight miscalculation of distance from the car ahead of you could cause you to bump into his rear end. You will probably not be able to multi task after that accident happens.
The problem is, we sometimes find it difficult to control the whims of our mind. When we get bored, our brain automatically shifts its attention to other tasks. But, focusing is a skill that can be honed. Make a conscious effort not to think of work, hold on to your mobile, or eat when driving. There are already many tasks that you have to involve your mind in when driving, do not complicate things further by imagining what you will be having for dinner. Always be up and alert when driving. If you are too tired, your mind drifts of easier so try to get a bit of rest before driving off from the parking lot. While nobody nowadays think that driving is like an extreme sport, it can actually be considered one and just like all the adventurous activities we try, driving needs our full attention.
See: Gas Card
Tags: basic, bet, car, collision, driver, driving, excuse, fault, focus, look, notice, on, ratings, road, rule, safety, school, test, used, vehicle
