“Don’t Get Distracted” and Drive, It’s the Law…(or at least it should be)

Living in America, most of us have to drive. I recently posted about the CA law banning “texting” while driving and said that we need more common sense, not law. But as I drive throughout the week, I notice it’s tempting to do other things.

Where's that song? What did u say? Where am I?

Do We Need More “Don’t” Laws?
-Don’t use your iPOD (or any menu selecting music device) while driving.
-Don’t look at your MPG meter while driving. (I drive a prius and it is almost like a game to get the highest MPG.)
-Don’t zone out when talking on your cell phone, even if you are using a headset. (It’s called tunnel vision where you almost drive with your sub-conscious while carrying a conversation at the same time.)
-Don’t stare at your GPS when it is giving you instructions. (The map on the GPS tells you where to go, but it doesn’t tell you there is a car or person walking in front of you.)

Not just only Texting
So it gets frustrating for me when laws are enacted to ban something so specific when it is actually the driver’s common sense and responsibility to be a safe driver. Because playing with your phone, reading, eating, and grabbing something from the backseat are just as dangerous as texting on the phone. There are going to be a lot of laws needed if we want to use that approach to make the roads safe.

Let’s Just Keep it Simple
Yes, the list can go on and on. And all I’m saying is that we shouldn’t need the government to babysit us with “don’t do this” and “don’t do that” laws. With today’s new gadgets and toys we bring into the car, it is just so tempting to find that right song on your iPOD or respond to your friend on your phone. But I seriously don’t think we need all those laws. We just need to realize ourselves to stop getting distracted. We can all make the roads safer to drive just by limiting the distractions. My rule of thumb is that if your head is not up and both your hands aren’t on the steering wheel then you know you are distracted by something. Just pay attention to the road and drive safely (I’m also telling myself this because it’s easy to get distracted).