7 Biggest Driving Mistakes Moms Make

August 09, 2008

When you have kids, it can be a little too easy to get distracted while driving. The kids are fighting, someone's crying, and you have a headache the size of Texas. It can be a recipe for disaster.

The Today Show's Parenting & Family (from Parenting Magazine) recently featured an article about the 7 biggest driving mistakes moms make. Driving safety is of the utmost importance for us at Ask Patty. We want to make sure you're aware of these distractions so you can do your best to avoid them.

Here are the seven mistakes moms make, and our take on them:

Talking on the phone
We've all done it. We're in traffic and decide to make a quick call to order take-out on the way home. Or check on the babysitter. But talking on your phone is a major distraction. It's not the act of dialing, although that can be dangerous. It's the conversation - it distracts you from your first priority: keeping your attention on the road. Not just your eyes, but your mind, your concentration. Using a handsfree headset doesn't change the fact that your attention is elsewhere. So don't do it unless it's an emergency.

Feeling overconfident
Driving aggressively can contribute to an accident. Tailgating, speeding, trying to block others from moving into your lane - they are all maneuvers that lead to crashes. So while being confident in your abilities is one thing, overestimating your reaction time is something completely different.

Driving while drowsy
This is one of the worst. It's so hard to concentrate, and your reaction time slows drastically when you're tired. Try to avoid driving when you're naturally sleepy, the article recommends. If you can't, take a nap before you get on the road. And coffee won't help as much as you think it will.

Speeding
It's so easy to justify speeding. Everyone does it, right? But about 30 percent of fatal crashes are due to speed. It takes longer to stop the faster you're going - anyone remember those motion experiments from high school? And you need more distance to stop than you think you do.

Eating on the run (Snacking while steering)
Food is another big distraction. Have you ever dropped a french fry or other piece of food and looked down to find it? That glance off of the road could be the split second you needed to keep from hitting the person in front of you. When you eat, you don't give the road your full attention AND you're only driving with one hand! Save the food for sitting at a light.

Attending to your kids
It's tough to drive when your kids are upset, fighting, or crying. But one of the worst things you can do is turn around to reprimand them or hand them something. Again, it takes your eyes and attention off of the road. Make sure you read the mini-quiz in this section of the original article, and see how well you would do.

Slacking on car maintenance
We know repairing your car can be expensive. But is it more expensive than an accident due to poor brakes or bad tires? Is it worth more than your family's safety? Get your car checked regularly from a mechanic you trust.

Make sure you read the entire article over at MSNBC. It has some good tips to help parents reduce distractions in the car.

Images: Scott Schram & Joe Schlabotnik (cc)