The gorgeous Florida weather and delightful scenery in and around Fort Walton Beach could certainly be enough to take a driver’s mind off the road, but these are not the only distractions.
Distraction comes in three forms, which, although dangerous by themselves, could bring the danger up even more when combined.
Manual
Manual distraction refers to taking your hands off the wheel. You could be fiddling with the radio, programming your GPS or reaching for something that has spilled on the floor. A collision can occur in the blink of an eye while you are reaching under the seat to find the pen you just dropped.
Visual
While you search for your pen or try to reset your GPS, you take your eyes off the road for a few seconds to look at whatever you are doing in addition to driving. This effort comes under the heading of visual distraction, but there are many other subheads: reading, eating or drinking, combing your hair or putting on makeup. You could also be visually distracted by an accident on the side of the road, a billboard or a beautiful stretch of ocean.
Cognitive
As human beings, we are accustomed to multi-tasking, but it can lead to trouble if we focus on more than one thing while driving. The brain is not able to adequately process multiple information streams; too much incoming data requires that something has to go, and that could spell disaster.
A combination to avoid
We hear a great deal about the danger of texting while driving, and this is because texting is an activity in which all three forms of distraction come into play simultaneously. You may have learned to put your cellphone away when you are behind the wheel–but what about the driver who is speeding toward you?
Taking steps
A personal injury attorney can confirm that there are many vehicle accidents in our part of Florida. Drivers who live and work here share the road with motorists from out of state and from other countries who may easily become distracted because they are looking for a hotel, a restaurant or some other destination. You cannot control other drivers who might be distracted, but you can try to protect your well-being by driving defensively and paying strict attention to the road.