The National Safety Council debunks five common myths about distracted driving. Check these out and see if what you believe about distracted driving is true.
Myth 1: Drivers can multitask.
The Truth: The human brain cannot do two things at the same time—like watch TV and hold a phone conversation. The same is true when driving and talking on your phone. The brain switches between the two tasks, which slows reaction time.
Myth 2: Talking to someone on a cell phone is no different than talking to a passenger.
The Truth: Adult passengers warn the driver of traffic problems. People on the other end of phones can’t see what’s going on!
Myth 3: Speaking hands-free is safe to do while driving.
The Truth: Drivers talking on cell phones can miss seeing up to 50 percent of their driving environments, including pedestrians and red lights.
Myth 4: I only use my phone at stop lights, so it’s OK.
The Truth: Even at stop lights, it is important to remain an attentive driver. For example, a recent AAA study shows that people are distracted up to 27 seconds after they finish sending a voice text.
Myth 5: Voice-to-text is safe to do while driving.
The Truth: It is very distracting to use voice-to-text technology. You’re not only mentally distracted, but you’re visually distracted due to the common autocorrect errors.