As soon as you get your license it feels like you have been driving all of your life. So much so that you feel you can do the task with your eyes closed. Or should we say, with your eyes distracted?

You don’t have to go or look far to see some form of literature or advertising remind you of the dangers of being a distracted driver. However, despite this bombardment of messages, you likely glance away from the road more often than you need to or should while driving.

Avoiding Common Distractions While Driving

If you are new to driving or you have a feeling that you are one of the people who these advertising campaigns are aimed at, below is some information from TenEyck Distributing on you can easily avoid two of the most common driving distractions.

The Right Music Matters

Imagine this scenario:

• You have to start work early so you decide to drive.
• You have had your coffee but you could use some help from your music collection to help wake you up.
• Fumbling around as you drive, you press play.
• After one or two songs the music starts to get a little slow, so you have fumble some more to change the song.
• This fumbling leads to you taking your eyes off the road to glance through your music collection.

The few seconds that you take your eyes off the road to look at your music is all the time needed to cause a serious accident on the road. Instead of fumbling around while you drive, fumble around while you are on the couch! While you are and your friends and family are half-watching a movie on TV, take out your phone or music player and create a few playlists which you can easily select for driving, such as:

• I need more coffee (music to wake you up)
• Too much coffee! (calming music to relax you)
• Time for a road trip (music for long drives)
• Ugh, time for work (starts of gentle but then warms up as the playlist continues)
• Home time! (all of your favorite songs to get you excited to leave work)

If you have any other errands which you complete then be sure to create a playlist for those, also. With these playlists at-the-ready, you can simply choose the appropriate one as you start your car knowing that you won’t have to worry about the music while you drive. Click here to buy AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil to keep your engine in good shape. Speak with TenEyck Distributing at (208) 589-4660 about how performing your own synthetic oil change at home can give your engine a boost and extend its lifespan.

Calls and Texts

That’s right - now it’s time for calls and texts. However, it isn’t going to be the tip which you think it is. While the best idea would undoubtedly be to leave your phone switched off and out of reach while you drive, in the modern world this just isn’t a reality. With this in mind, instead of using your phone while you drive, use your phone while you drive. You read that right, only it comes with a little twist. Imagine this:

• You are on your way to the store to pick up some groceries when your phone beeps at you.
• You aren’t sure what the message is or who it is from, but you are certain that the world will collapse into oblivion if you don’t answer it.
• Instead of pulling over safely on the side of the road, you (similar to the music above) start to fumble around for your phone.
• It beeps more to remind you of the world ending, which only frustrates you until you finally find it!
• Thankfully it’s only your friends making dinner plans, however, you decide to respond to it anyway, taking your eyes off the road for just a few seconds.

Again, it’s those ‘just a few seconds’ which everybody seems to dismiss when serious problems can occur. Now, consider this:

• You are on your way to the store to pick up some groceries when your phone beeps at you.
• Followed by the beep, your phone proceeds to speak out the name of the sender and ask if you would like the message read to you.
• Without taking your focus off the road you simply reply with a ‘Yes’.
• Your phone proceeds to read the message to you, offering the option of a spoken reply.
• Taking up the offer, you reply to the message, again using only your voice and without taking your eyes off the road.

If you are using a smartphone which was made in the past few years then there is a good chance that there is a powerful digital assistant built in. In fact, even the most basic models will provide some level of digital assistant services which can help with numerous situations like the above. Once you are finished creating your music playlists, take a look through your phone’s options and learn how to use the digital assistant effectively. Depending on the model of phone you have there is a good chance that it can provide much more functionality to you while you drive than simply reading your messages, such as allowing you to ask for directions, search for local places of interest, and even manage your calendar.

Keep Your Dashboard Free of Distractions With a Synthetic Oil Change in Idaho Falls, ID

Staying focused while driving is important not only to your safety but to the safety of other motorists and pedestrians. In addition to the above, be sure to keep your dashboard free of flashing-light distractions by maintaining good engine health. Speak with TenEyck Distributing at (208) 589-4660 to learn about how performing a synthetic oil change at home can work to keep your engine in good shape and help it to last longer. If you prefer, the online store has expanded information about all of the products available including their use cases.