How Road Users Can Prevent Distracted Driving

Distracted driving can be prevented when everyone on the road treats attention as a safety requirement. Drivers should avoid activities like texting, checking notifications, eating, grooming, reaching for objects, or conversations that pull attention away.

Preventing deadly car crashes starts with recognizing the reason for distracted driving accidents and taking steps to eliminate avoidable distractions before they turn into dangerous situations.

Put the Phone Away Before Moving

Silence the phone, put it somewhere unreachable, or activate driving mode before starting every trip. Program navigation before departure.

Prepare the Vehicle First

Before entering traffic, drivers should:

• Adjust mirrors, seats, climate controls, and music.
• Secure bags, bottles, and other loose objects.
• Set the navigation route.
• Make sure passengers have what they need.

Avoid Everyday Distractions

Eating, drinking, applying makeup, shaving, searching through a bag, or reaching for something can interfere with steering and braking. A spilled drink or dropped object can create an emergency distraction. Finish these tasks before moving or pull over safely instead.

Passengers Can Help

Passengers should avoid becoming another source of distraction. They can handle messages or directions instead.

Teen Drivers Need Clear Rules

Parents can set expectations before a teenager drives. Rules can prohibit phone use, limit unnecessary passengers, and require the driver to pull over before making calls or changing navigation. Many states impose additional restrictions on cellphone use or passengers for novice drivers.

Pedestrians and Cyclists Matter Too

Distraction is not limited to drivers. Pedestrians looking at phones while crossing may miss signals, approaching vehicles, or warning sounds. Cyclists using devices while moving can similarly overlook traffic changes. They should put devices away near intersections.

Commercial Drivers Face Federal Restrictions

Commercial drivers face additional federal rules. 49 C.F.R. § 392.80 prohibits texting while operating a commercial motor vehicle, subject to specified exceptions, while 49 C.F.R. § 392.82 restricts handheld mobile-phone use.

Employers Should Not Encourage Constant Responses

Employers should make clear that employees are not expected to answer calls or messages while driving. A delivery deadline should never pressure someone to handle a phone in traffic.

Avoid “Quick” Tasks at Red Lights

A red light is not a safe time to check a phone. Traffic can move unexpectedly, and drivers may need to react immediately when the signal changes. Wait until the vehicle is parked.

Be Extra Careful At High-Conflict Locations

Some road environments demand more attention because unexpected hazards can appear quickly. Intersections, parking lots, school zones, pedestrian crossings, construction areas, and roads with frequent lane changes leave less room for a distracted driver to recover.

Drivers should be particularly disciplined about putting devices away and scanning for pedestrians, cyclists, turning vehicles, and changing traffic signals in these areas. NHTSA likewise emphasizes extra caution around pedestrians and cyclists, particularly where visibility or traffic conditions make them harder to detect.

Don’t Let Driver-Assistance Features Create Complacency

A driver should understand what each system can and cannot do and remain responsible for monitoring the road. NHTSA specifically advises drivers to understand their vehicle’s driver-assistance technology and its limitations rather than treating it as a substitute for attentive driving.

The Safest Rule

If something requires sustained attention, stop driving. Pull over safely before reading a message, changing a route, eating, making a call, or dealing with a passenger. A few extra minutes is far less costly than a preventable crash.

Takeaways

• Put your phone away before driving.
• Program navigation before moving.
• Do not assume hands-free means risk-free.
• Secure loose items and finish personal tasks first.
• Passengers should reduce, not create, distractions.
• Employers should not pressure drivers to respond.
• Pull over whenever a task cannot safely wait.