A List of Actions that Are Considered Manual Distraction
When you think of distracted driving, your mind instantly goes to texting or talking on the phone. However, manual distractions require you to take your hands off the wheel and encompass an even more extensive range of behaviors. Understanding these distractions is essential because they considerably raise your risk of being involved in an accident.
Manual distractions are exceptionally dangerous because they combine physical interruption of your driving with divided attention. This post will outline five main actions that would be considered as manual distractions. Read on to learn more.
1. Smoking-related activities
Activities related to smoking create several manual distractions when driving. Lighting a cigarette, ashing, and disposing of cigarette butts all require you to take your hands off the wheel. These various activities may appear short and straightforward, but they still represent times when you have reduced control of your vehicle.
If you’re involved in an accident caused by a distracted driver, contact an experienced distracted driving accident lawyer to help you receive justice and compensation.
2. Eating and drinking while driving
The most common manual distractions you would indulge in involve eating or drinking while driving. Maybe it's your morning coffee, a breakfast sandwich, or a snack en route to a long drive; all activities involve at least taking one hand off the wheel. You may think you save time this way, but juggling containers of food, unwrapping items, or trying to prevent spills will seriously compromise your control of the vehicle.
3. Grooming and personal care
Personal grooming during driving is another very dangerous manual distraction that individuals typically underestimate. Putting on makeup, brushing your hair, shaving, or adjusting clothes may be efficient uses of time on the way to work, school, or other places; however, these tasks usually require visual and manual attention that diverts one's attention away from driving.
4. Reaching for objects
Whether this is your phone that slid under the seat, a purse in the back seat, or something in your glove compartment, reaching for objects while driving is a substantial manual distraction. This usually requires adjusting your body position or losing proper control of the vehicle for a second.
5. Adjusting vehicle controls
Newer cars have a lot of controls and other functions that require manual changes while operating. Changing the radio station, climate controls, programming your GPS, or adjusting your mirrors requires the driver to take their hands off the wheel and often their eyes off the road.
Admittedly, most new cars have controls on the steering wheel to reduce these sorts of distractions, but you could still find yourself fumbling for buttons, knobs, or touchscreens.
Conclusion
Understanding and avoiding manual distractions is critical for safe driving. While these distractions seem harmless or routine, they all impact your chances of being involved in an accident. The safest operation is to keep both hands on the wheel and only drive. If any of the above activities need to be performed, take the time to pull over safely first.
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