What Is Distracted Driving Insurance? Does Using Your Phone's GPS Count as Distracted Driving?

In March of this year, the Florida law-makers unsuccessful, again, to pass a law cracking down on the scourge of texting whereas driving on Florida roads. this is often a shame, since distracted driving has caused a surge in accidents in Florida, and Florida has a number of the weakest laws within the nation to handle it.

The legislatures inability to handle the acute danger of texting-while-driving highlights the dim prospects of there being any movement on another, less-prominent, distracted driving danger: use of GPS devices. during this article, we have a tendency to discuss what constitutes distracted driving typically, and the wayvictimisation GPS devices will fall under that class even as very much like texting will. we have a tendency to additionally discuss what you ought to do if you're disabled in Associate in Nursing accident involving driver distraction with a GPS device.

What Is Distracted Driving?

Although distracted driving isn't outlined in current Florida statutes, the Florida Department of Transportation describes it as something that takes the drivers attention aloof from the very important task of driving. delineate that means, a large vary of activities may probably qualify as distracted driving, together with texting, standardization the radio, talking on the phone, and, as mentioned here, employing aGPS system. but outlined, distracted driving may be a major downside. The National main road Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in 2016, distracted driving claimed three,450 lives on U.S. roads. In 2015, it caused 391,000 injuries.

Considering the widespread use of smartphones and GPS devices, maybe these numbers are not stunning. what's stunning is what number Floridians don't notice the hazards of victimisation those devices whereasbehind the wheel. because the NHTSA points out, at fifty five miles per hour, taking your eyes off the road for simply 5 seconds to manipulate a GPS is that the equivalent of driving the length of a whole athletic field together with your eyes closed.

How a GPS Device Causes Dangerous Distraction

Knowing however a GPS are often dangerous is that the opening in victimisation it responsibly. per the Florida DOT, distracted driving comes in 3 forms: manual (taking your hands off the wheel), visual (taking your eyes off the road), and psychological feature (taking your mind off of the task of driving). sadly, employing a GPS device will impact all 3 of those.

Manual. Unless a GPS device has a voice command function accessible from a button on the steering wheel or an always listening mode (like Hey Siri), it usually requires you to use at least one hand to execute commands, like typing in an address or pressing Start Route. Even devices with voice command may require you to press a button to activate them.
Visual. Whether you're typing an address into a GPS, or looking at it to see your position on a map, using a GPS requires you to divert your eyes from the road. Ideally, you should not have to do so for more than a second or two, but sometimes it's easy to want to look longer, which can increase danger quickly.
Cognitive. As Time reported in 2016, cognitive function may well be the biggest area in which using a GPS can distract a driver. GPS's demand our attention, and sometimes in surprising ways. They speak to us. They reroute us. They invite our mental engagement at times when all of our attention should be focused on the road ahead. (Just think of how quickly tension, and distraction, escalates when a GPS tells you to take a turn and you don't see what it means.)

GPSs also erode our cognitive map-making abilities. Mental maps that is, knowing where you're going because you're familiar with a route and have it pre-planned in your head are a particularly useful human skill. They allow us to develop situational awareness of potential dangers on the road ahead by comparing our expectation of what the road should look like with how it actually looks. They also help us navigate under sub-optimal road conditions, like in rain or at night.

But GPS devices effectively replace that mental map, which over time can cause us to lose that instinct for where we are going. We become dependent on a GPS to tell us our route. And, when the GPS makes a mistake or disconnects in areas with bad reception, unprepared drivers can become stressed, distracted, or unwilling to follow their own instinct. Consider the stories of drivers following a GPS's instructions and driving into a lake.

Finally, GPS devices can cause distracted driving even when you're not paying visual attention to them and you can operate them hands-free. For instance, when drivers make mistakes or skip exits, the GPS alerts them with a noise or an instruction to make a radical course change. These sudden interruptions can be jarring, which makes them dangerous. Any focus on following directions instead of observing the environment for dangers can certainly count as distracted driving.

How to Reduce the Danger of Using a GPS Device

Now that you know the dangers, here are four ways use your GPS responsibly:

1. Familiarize yourself with the visual route. Before you head out to a new destination, look at the map. Familiarize yourself with the major turns and identify any spots with tricky navigation. With that bit of mental forewarning, you can reduce potential panics and mistakes. It also helps reduce your reliance on minute-by-minute instructions from a GPS.

2. It's better to turn around than follow directions that don't make sense. If your GPS is telling you that you have to make a split-second decision, ignore it for a moment. Focus on safely driving past the intersection or point of contention. Then you can turn into a parking lot and check the map visually. Even if you are on a deadline or are running behind, focus on safety instead of following your app's directions.

3. Set your destination and preferences before you start. Get your GPS organized early. Type in the address and decide which available route you want to take before you put the car in drive. Inputting information and making choices is even more distracting than following a GPS's instructions might be.

If you need to change your route halfway through the drive, pull over before you start. This might be frustrating, especially if you're stuck in traffic and pulling over would add several minutes to your drive. But if you're frustrated and tempted to modify your GPS to find a better route, other drivers are probably doing the exact same thing. That means it's even more important to stay vigilant and keep your car safe.

4. Have your passenger handle navigation. Nobody likes a side seat driver, but your trip may be safer if you have one. A person can give you early warning about complex directions and visually inspect the map. Studies show that talking to a passenger is safer than talking over the phone, and part of that is because passengers are cognizant of the road conditions. They know when to stop talking and when to point something out. Passengers who are operating your GPS can apply the same filter and reduce potential distractions at key moments.