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Drive Safely Work
Week
October 2-6, 2006
Minnesota Safety
Council
Be Ready. Be Set. Be Focused.
Because you never know what you
may encounter on the roadway.
Driver Distractions
and Solutions
COGNITIVE
DISTRACTIONS
include thoughts or emotions that take a driver's attention away from
the driving task. Drivers are limited in the amount of information
they can process while behind the wheel. A mentally demanding activity
unrelated to the driving task can interfere with driver focus and
result in a crash.
Recommendations:
-
Recognize that driving takes your
full attention. Take a break if you find yourself lost in thought,
have difficulty focusing on the road, or can't remember the last few
miles driven.
-
Hands-free doesn't mean crash-free.
While using hands-free devices can reduce physical distractions,
they don't eliminate the mental distraction caused by being involved
in the conversation itself.
-
Postpone demanding or emotional
conversations with passengers until you arrive at your destination.
PSYCHOMOTOR DISTRACTIONS
occur when a
driver removes one or both hands from the steering wheel to physically
adjust an object inside the vehicle.
Recommendations:
-
Plan routes ahead of time and pull
off the road to check maps or enter data into navigation devices.
Adjust climate controls, pre-program radio stations, and pre-load
CDs and tapes before driving.
-
Make sure children are comfortable
and properly buckled up. Teach children the importance of good
behavior while riding. To tend to them, pull off the road and out of
traffic.
-
Secure items that could move around
while the car is in motion. Don't try to retrieve items that fall to
the floor until the car is safely parked.
-
Don't eat, shave, put on makeup or
talk on a cell phone behind the wheel.
OUTSIDE-THE-VEHICLE
DISTRACTIONS.
As drivers face an increasingly complex driving environment, it's
critical to be focused and pay attention to the primary task of
driving.
Recommendations:
-
Be aware that roadway construction,
police activity, pedestrians and other drivers can divert attention
away from driving. Recognize that other drivers may be distracted
expect the unexpected.
-
Avoid "rubbernecking" or staring at
a previous crash, disabled vehicle or other roadside incident.
-
Keep your yes on the road ahead of
the vehicle and scan your surroundings periodically for hazards.
-
Be extra attentive and slow down in
work zones. Be aware of workers, heavy equipment, changing road
surfaces and traffic patterns.
-
Reduce your speed and try to safely
reposition your vehicle when passing roadside crashes, police
activity or disabled vehicles. Be alert to emergency personnel and
changing traffic patterns.
Minnesota NETS is a
project of the Minnesota Safety Council and the Minnesota Department
of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety
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For Your Health
Big Bonus from Beans
Replace
meat with magnesium-rich beans in your recipes whenever possible and,
according to a brand new study, you'll lower your risk of high blood
pressure
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For the month of August
fuel purchased at the terminal was 34.1%. Be mindful
that there is a $.21 p/gal difference between a TA and our own
fuel tanks. Plan you fuel purchases such that you can get as much in
Mounds View or at the Pilot in Oak Creek as possible.
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