Among the advanced features that allow you to connect your phone to your car and buttons that control the windows in your car, there is lots to play around with as you drive.
Although, these buttons might seem inviting or multitasking behind the wheel might seem manageable, death and injury often happen because people choose to look away from the road. Which is why it’s every driver’s responsibility to be conscious of and eliminate distractions.
Slower reaction time
There is research that shows that using voice commands and using the apps that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto offer can delay your reaction time. The recent study suggests that drivers at the legal limit of alcohol have a reaction time is 12% slower than drivers who don’t engage in distractions. Meanwhile, the reaction time of drivers who use Apple and Android apps via touch are 53 to 57% slower and drivers who use voice commands are 30 to 36% slower than undistracted drivers.
Many participants involved in the study didn’t realize that they were looking away for periods of time that lasted more than five seconds. Which is important lesson to drivers both with and without fancy technology in their car. This is because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website states that within five seconds, a car travelling at 55 mph can cover the length of a football field. So, when you mess around with radio controls, try to get your windows open at the perfect level or state at your speedometer for too long you can blindly cover a lot of ground.
Higher awareness
To fight the urge to click buttons in your car, it’s essential to remember that you can truly miss a lot in a few seconds. Don’t wait until you are on the road to make temperature, GPS or music adjustments. To increase your alertness, it’s best to make yourself comfortable before you begin your drive instead.
