Toyota of Dothan Warns of Dangerous Driving Habits

Jun 18, 2013

After we have taken our dreaded driver’s test and have been on the road for a few years, we can get a little too comfortable. This makes for the start of habits that may not seem like a big deal to us, but can actually escalate into dangerous situations. Toyota of Dothan cares about your safety, and is offering this list of habits to avoid when getting behind the wheel.

Talking on a cell phone- While we live in a multitasking society and many think this is no big deal, cell phone use can cause major accidents. It takes your hands off the wheel, can slow you down and take more attention away from driving than you may think. A study by Carnegie Mellon showed that the amount of brain activity you use to focus on driving reduces by 37% when you’re using a cell phone.

Texting while driving- Studies show you’re over 20 times more likely to have an accident if you’re texting while driving. Texting uses three modalities that are critical to driving: Brain to think about the message, eyes to look at what you’re typing, and your hands to do the typing.

Driving while drowsy- Though often not intentional, driving when you’re tired has similar effects of drunk driving. It impairs judgement, slows reaction time, and lowers awareness. According to the NHTSA, every year 100,000 crashes are reported each year due to drowsy driving.

Running a red light- This seems to work in movies, but in reality is can cause serious accidents. These crashes tend to be worse because of the excess speed involved in trying to get through the intersection. Fines are very steep for this offense.

Speeding- While this may seem obvious, speeding accidents often depend on the situation. Going too fast around a turn or in bad weather can take a slightly intimidating driving scenario and make it very dangerous. Combining alcohol makes it even deadlier, and going through construction can cause tragic fatalities as well.

Driving while intoxicated- Possibly the most dangerous. Alcohol impairs your judgement of distance, reaction time, and increases aggression. There is a high likelihood of killing someone while you’re drunk, and it comes with heavy fines and jail time.