Texting while driving is a big “no-no”. It requires you to take your eyes away from the road in front of you. Any task that requires you to do this is not something you should be considering while operating a vehicle. The same goes for vlogging. What’s that, you ask? A vlog is a blog in video form. It usually involves mounting a camera to your dashboard to record videos. While doing this still affords you the ability to be hands-free, you should be weary.
The truth of the matter is that it’s not your hands not being free that’s the problem. It’s your brain. While you may not be touching your phone, your brain is still engaged in a phone call, thus still taking your direct attention away from the road and surrounding traffic.
Different Types of Distractions
Manual – Manual distraction is taking your hands off the steering wheel.
Visual – Visual is looking at the camera instead of the road.
Cognitive – Cognitive distraction is “performing” for the camera instead of focusing your attention on driving.
Avoid Getting Distracted
Here are a few tips to prevent yourself from becoming distracted while you’re behind the wheel.
Put your phone in a safe driving mode to reduce distractions. For instance, turn off notifications and set up GPS prior to leaving your house. This way, you’ll get turn-by-turn directions, so you can keep your hands on the steering wheel and avoid having to look down at your phone.
Listen to a radio show or a podcast. You will be able to start alert and your brain will tune it out when it needs to.
Consider carpooling with another driver so you can share the driving duties and have a second pair of eyes that can spot things you may otherwise miss.
Play verbal road games. Such games as “I Spy” will force you to keep your eyes on what’s in front of you, preventing you from moving your eyes away from the road.