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Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:34am

What kinds of distractions do you encounter while driving?

There are many things that can distract you from driving safely – your passengers, eating food, talking on a hands-free phone, or taking your eyes off the road to look at something.

DistractionA recent Ministry of Transport crash report showed that in 2016, diverted attention was identified as a contributing factor in a total of 1,097 crashes in New Zealand. These crashes resulted in 22 deaths and 210 serious injuries.

Road Safety Coordinator Peter Daly says drivers need to take responsibility when driving and to ensure their eyes are always on the road. “Nobody ever thinks a crash is going to happen to them, until it happens,” he says.

The best advice anyone can have when driving is to just drive –leave the cellphone, food, coffee and any other distractions until the car is turned off. If we are distracted when someone else makes a mistake in front of us, we have far less chance to avoid being involved in a crash or incident.