Driving Without Awareness/Distracted Driving

Brown Dog Carriers was recognized at Maine Motor Transports yearly banquet on January 9th.  We pride ourselves on safety and will always be looking for ways to improve on every aspect of safety in our industry.  Our team will continuously work to be at the top of the list of safe carriers. We always look forward to learning from our colleagues in the industry by attending networking events or just reaching out through social media.

As a part of our new website Brown Dog Carriers and Logistics will update blogs on a regular basis. Lots of these will be safety blogs that will include safety for all of the motoring public not just trucks.  Here is my first official blog.

Driving Without Awareness and Distracted Driving

We should all know when attention goes down, the chances of a crash go up.  This is true no matter what size vehicle you operate. Distracted drivers are nearly 3 times more likely to be involved in a collision than attentive drivers. Having one’s mind on task is crucial.  In trucking the hours are long and it can be easy to take your mind off the road. 

Distracted driving is also caused by multitasking. Basic, attentive driving requires drivers to steer, speed, brake, and watch for other vehicles. Trying to do anything else, such as talking on the phone or even letting your mind wander, takes your attention away from the road and its dangers.

The saying “keep your eyes on the road” is only part of the issue—drivers must mentally register what they see. Experienced drivers may be safer in some ways, but they’re also more likely to go on autopilot and react automatically to external events without knowing it. This leaves a driver unable to react to sudden events like unexpected lane changes or rapid traffic slowdowns.

Any discussion of driving distractions isn’t complete without noting the potential dangers of GPS, Google Maps and car radios. Those can cause drivers to take their eyes off the road. But by far the biggest culprit is the phone. Studies have shown that occupied hands play a smaller role in driving accidents than distraction, which is a far more serious risk. So just because a driver has both hands on the wheel doesn’t mean their mind is going to be focused on driving. Always keep your head in the game, your family will thank you for getting home safe.

Graig Morin - President, Brown Dog Carriers