The 5 Activities Busy Women Should Never Engage In While Driving
Many women work outside the home, and even those who don’t often have full schedules. For instance, even if you’re a stay-at-home mom, you might have to drive the children to or from school, pick up groceries, drop the kids off at band or soccer practice, etc. You might often feel like there are not nearly enough hours in the day.
Even though that’s true, it can be dangerous if you try to get multiple things done at the same time. Multitasking is great, but not if you’re driving or doing something else that should get your full attention.
Let’s talk about a few driving activities in which women should never engage.
Don’t Text and Drive
Texting and driving is one distracted driving example, but there are plenty of other ones. If you feel like it’s no big deal, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Consider these stats: in 2019, there were 6,756,000 car wrecks in the US. The US Bureau of Transportation reported this, and they’re a reputable source. They also stated that in Missouri alone, there were over 157,000 accidents.
You can certainly speculate about how many of those wrecks involved distracted drivers, but you have to assume it was a high number since human error plays a part in so many accidents.
If you’re trying to text with your child while on the way to pick them up, wait until you can pull the car over to do so. If you have a spouse or significant other, and you’re having a conversation about what to have for dinner via text, wait till you pull over and figure that out as well.
Don’t Try to Apply Makeup While Driving
Applying makeup while driving is also something in which some women engage. Again, if you have a busy schedule, maybe you feel like the best time to apply a little eyeliner or lip gloss is at a red light on the way to a parent-teacher meeting or yoga class.
The issue is that the light might change suddenly, and before you realize it, you’re holding up traffic. You’re going to get cars honking at you, which could fluster you and cause you to make a driving mistake.
Like texting, the best option is to pull over and apply makeup, fix your hair, adjust your outfit, or anything along those lines. Even if you feel rushed, you need to focus on the road ahead more than anything else if you want to keep yourself and any passengers safe.
Don’t Eat and Drive
Perhaps you’re on your way to do a bunch of errands, and you realize that you skipped a meal, or you suddenly have the desire for some spicy chicken nuggets when you’re passing a Wendy’s. There’s no reason you can’t swing by the drive-through on the way to wherever you’re going.
It’s probably best if you can wait till you get to your destination, though, before you enjoy your tasty snack. Maybe the meal you got is pretty easy to consume. However, it’s more likely you have to unwrap it, pour sauce on it, or otherwise prepare it a bit before you can dive right in.
You shouldn’t do any of that while driving. If you allow a wayward ketchup packet or your drink to distract you, you can easily cause a wreck or get in one. If you can wait till you get where you’re going, you can then safely give your food all of your attention.
Don’t Talk on the Phone
If you have a smartphone, you might feel like you can talk on it at all times with no issues, especially in the car. You’re in your private vehicle, and it’s your right to speak to a friend or family member as you go about your business.
If you have to hold the smartphone while you talk on it, that’s an issue since both of your hands should be on the steering wheel. Even if you put the phone in the drink holder or on the seat next to you, that’s still potentially problematic.
The issue is that even if you’re not actively holding the phone, if you’re talking on it, then it is still distracting you. Maybe you’re deep into conversation about a complicated family situation. Perhaps you’re in the middle of dispensing relationship advice.
Wait till you’re out of the car to talk on the phone. If someone calls, and you do feel compelled to answer, at least make the conversation a short one. You can tell them you’re driving, and you’ll call them right back as soon as you can.
You Should Not Let Your Kids Distract You
You might also feel like the family chauffeur sometimes. It’s part of being a parent, especially if you have teens who are not quite old enough to drive yet.
You can certainly talk to your kids when they’re in the car with you, but if they’re acting up in the back seat, you need to find a way to control them while still keeping your eyes firmly on the road. Rambunctious kids can cause a car wreck, and the last thing you want is to get in a violent vehicular collision with them in the car.
You can tell them you’ll talk about whatever issue they have when you get to where you’re going. If you’ve got younger kids, you can tell them to calm down, or you’re putting them in a timeout. If you say you’re going to count to ten unless they behave and grounding them or some other punishment is on the table, then hopefully, that gets them under control.
Most safe driving behavior involves not letting anything distract you and letting the road have your full attention. That’s true with drivers of any gender, but women who find themselves driving quite a bit would do well to remember it. It’s easy to become complacent and engage in some less-than-safe behaviors sometimes.
Image by Reynaldo Amadeu Dal Lin Junior Juba from Pixabay
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