#13 - How to drive safely this winter (and always)

In November 2020, I logged 3,885 Miles driving. In addition to being thankful for hard times (read #11 at stilltravelingsalseman.com). I’m thankful that my career gives me the opportunity to see different parts of the country. Being a road warrior and student of human behavior, I notice how people drive. From the teenager swerving through traffic while he hits a vape, to the 70-year-old woman who can barely peer over the steering wheel as she attempts to merge, I’ve seen a lot driving in this beautiful country.

One thing that shocks me though, is how few people follow what I will call 3 steps of phone safety at high speeds. According to drivesafety.com reaction times for the average driver can be as high as 1 second from recognizing a danger and then reacting (whether swerving or hitting the brakes). Even with the miles I log, I would never want to be without the below items. When I have? My reaction time has suffered. As winter approaches, those of us in the North will now have to deal with the increased danger of driving in snowy conditions. So how do I keep myself safe? I’ll tell you.

If you have a later model car, chances are you have integrated Bluetooth in your car for media and talk, in which case you don’t need to worry. If you’re driving a car without Bluetooth (or a loud work van like me) YOU NEED TO BUY A BLUETOOTH HEADSET. I’ve tried many different styles over the years, currently I use the iconic BlueParrott B450-XT. This heavy duty headset has been worth every penny for the amount of time I drive and spend on the phone, but there are many low budget options. Whether you go with a speaker or headset is irrelevant from my perspective, but there is no good reason for you to go without a “hands free” option in your car. The barrier to entry is as low as $20, which anyone with a car can afford.

You need a place for your phone to “live” when you are in the car. In the first place, a loose phone becomes a projectile in the case of an accident. Less fatal, when you’re phone is on a mount it’s easy to see who is calling, change the song, or doing a quick check of your notifications (I’m not supposed to admit it, but we all do this) even if it’s slightly out of reach, and you can buy one similar to the picture at your local dollar store for, you guessed it, $1. This also makes navigation a breeze, consider what happens when you’re unsure of where to turn and your phone is in your lap. This is exactly the type of situation that causes accidents.

I don’t support zero tolerance policies as a rule. While I understand the dangers of texting while driving, passing a bill that makes it illegal to touch your phone will only incentivize people to keep it out of sight, thereby increasing their reaction time and taking their eyes farther from the road. It is true that 99% of your notifications can wait, and whether you take a quick peek at your phone should depend on the density of the road you are on. So don’t go responding to a text (or even talk on the phone) as you’re merging or trying to cut across traffic. Additionally it’s driving 101 that you should leave space between you and the car or truck in front of you. This is especially true for wintertime.