When looking to buy a new car, you might be tempted by the advanced in-car infotainment systems on offer. These can do many things, from channeling your phone calls and emails to playing music, offering route guidance and even playing videos.
While they sound great, there is one big problem – they can be terribly distracting.
Drivers must minimize distractions
The more things you have on offer in your car, the more chance you succumb to using one of them. Remember the old days when the only thing most cars had was a manual radio and cassette player? It took a few seconds to find a channel or change the cassette, but after that, you put your eyes and attention back on the road.
Nowadays, staying focused on driving is harder because you have more distractions to ignore.
Seconds matter when driving
Next time you get into your car, try doing something such as placing a call or checking an email before you start your engine. Time how long each task takes.
Then, when you set off driving, see how much distance you cover in those times you measured. It will, of course, depend on your driving speed, but you might be surprised just how much ground you cover in the length of time it takes to do these things that a lot of people do every day via their in-car systems. Consider how much you could miss that is happening on the road in that distance.
Driver distraction is so common that it is always worth considering if someone injures you in a crash. With legal help, you may be able to show the other driver was distracted and hold them responsible.