We’re all guilty of it. When driving, either after a long day at work, or we’re just feeling a bit tired, our attention can begin to wander. But we argue that we know the roads really well, so we can afford to daydream slightly, right? Wrong. While we know the roads, we don’t know what other drivers are capable of. We can easily get caught up with Little Lewis Hamilton’s or, for the older generations, Junior James Hunt’s, who have gone one step too far to achieve the cheap thrill they were after, and BAM! Life could be ruined. We have all suffered from poor attention when we’re driving, but there are some things you can do to increase your attention span when on the road.
Reduce Your In-Car Distractions
With the amount of things we have around us to keep us distracted, it’s no wonder there are higher amounts of car accidents than ever before. Every new car is kitted with a state of the art sound system, and you may have been in a text conversation or argument with someone before you got in the car and want to continue it. All it takes is to look away from the road for two seconds, and you could be in a lot of trouble. Not paying attention can easily mean you will gradually start to speed without realizing it or veering side to side, resulting in the inevitable speeding ticket and points on your license. Turn the volume down on the music to a reasonable level so you can focus and put your mobile phone on airplane mode and put it out of your peripheries. The airplane mode means you won’t get any messages and it will reduce the temptation to glance at your phone to see if you’ve received a WhatsApp.
Break Down Long Journeys
A long trip can be taxing on the mind, especially if you’re just driving on a long freeway for hours on end. People say that driving on a freeway is easier because you don’t have to think about it as much, but having this attitude can result in many drivers not concentrating at all or even falling asleep at the wheel. You need to know your limits when it comes to a long journey. If you need a break, then pull off at the next service station and get out and stretch your legs. Feeling cooped up and being sat in one position isn’t going to help you focus on the road. Break down your journey into manageable chunks. It’s the only way to be sure that you are focusing properly.
Open The Window!
It may sound obvious, but having a breath of fresh air in the car, reducing your stress levels, and filling your brain with oxygen is a quick energy boost and will give you the focus you need to get back to the act of driving. It’s simple, yet effective. Just make sure that you aren’t driving in a monsoon when you wind the window down!
