How to Resist Texting Temptation While Driving
We’ve all experienced it: you’re going through our day, minding your own business, when you hear that familiar ringtone from your cell. For some it’s a cute little ding, and for others it’s an obnoxious duck QUACK, but the sound doesn’t really matter. What matters is you have a message waiting for you, and usually, you’re in a situation where it’s easy to check. However, when you’re in the car, it’s not only a bad idea to check your phone for messages, it’s also illegal and incredibly dangerous.
According to the National Safety Council, cell phone use while driving causes 1.6 million crashes each year.
Service King Babcock would like to offer some ways to help you avoid texting while driving.
- If Your Car Has Bluetooth, Make Sure It’s Optimized Before Driving
Several newer car models have a hands-free feature for your phone; simply connect via Bluetooth. This feature can be handy, but make sure you take the time to set everything up before putting the car in drive. Most cars also have a built-in safety feature that disables Bluetooth setup while the car is in motion; however, you may end up trying to use your phone anyways while on the go. Take five minutes before you get on the road and make sure your phone is properly connected, and then put it somewhere out of reach, like your purse or glove compartment.
If you don’t have a hands-free option built in to your car, there are many options for mounting your phone to the dashboard, making speakerphone and navigation much more convenient. Remember, try to use your phone only for emergencies—just talking on the phone can be distracting enough.
- Utilize Technology to Keep You in Check
Technology may be the source of the problem, but it can also be the solution. New enhancements in smartphones have made it even easier to monitor yourself while driving by turning off notifications while you drive. If you have an iPhone (and the latest iOS update), you can use the Do Not Disturb While Driving feature. This feature not only mutes texts, calls, and notifications (keeping them from lighting up your screen), but it can also automatically respond to any texts, informing your contacts that you’re driving. Don’t worry about emergency texts, though—contacts can break through the Do Not Disturb by using the word “urgent” in your texts, or the function can be set to exclude certain contacts.
For Android users, there are tons of new apps available that can help prevent distracted driving as well—from silencing your phone altogether to creating a more driver-friendly screen, there’s a great selection of driver safety apps to be explored.
- Be Diligent and Responsible
Of course, there’s always the old-fashioned way. Turn off your phone completely before getting in the car. Send out texts to your friends/family or current conversations letting them know you’ll be en route, and not to tempt you by calling or texting. Educate yourself and your community about the dangers of cell phone use while driving—and make a point to simply stop doing it. If this is too hard for you, or you find you’re too disconnected in the time it takes to get from point A to point B, try out a few different methods, or a combination of several, to see what works best for you.
Being safe on the road doesn’t have to be hard—and even though your curiosity may get the better of you at the office or at home, keeping that curiosity at bay while you’re driving has a direct impact on your safety and the safety of others. Trust us, it can wait!
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