Passenger & Driver Behavior

Its not just whats outside your car that affects your driving; its whos inside the car with you, as well. Its a challenge to have to pay attention to whats going on inside and outside your car. Whoever said it would be easy?

The Silent Killer - Falling Asleep at the Wheel

Pull over and park the car if you experience these danger signals:

• Your eyes go out of focus.
• You have trouble keeping your head up.
• You cant stop yawning.
• You cant remember the last few miles youve driven.
• You drift between lanes or miss traffic signals.

Life on the Real Road Story - Angry Enough to Crash

Vida Celina James was driving fast. She was angry at her girlfriend and needed to cool down, so she reached over to the radio and turned it up a notch. The music would be a welcome distraction.

Vida offered to give her friends a ride home that night. They had attended a youth meeting and there were lots of things to talk about. Sometimes, like that night, their talks ended in an argument, followed by an angry silence. Better that than saying how I really feel, she thought.

Thats when she looked away from the road to turn up the radio. And thats when the white car appeared right in front of her.

Vida looked up and found the blur of a vehicle crossing her path. She was surrounded by cars on the highway; there was no way she could avoid a crash in rush-hour traffic.

Since I had non-ABS brakes, I should have pumped them to stop, but instead I just slammed them, Vida recalls. My car fishtailed into the divider and crumpled the front left end of the car.

The impact thrust her face against the steering wheel. Instantly, her left eye socket fractured. She was taken to the hospital, and for days it was doubtful that her vision would ever return to normal. Fortunately, it did.

Everyone in the car was wearing their seat belt, so no one else was hurt, she says. But the car was totaled. Vida now has a different opinion about cars and driving. I used to feel safe inside a car because its made of metal, she says. But now, I think that because its made of metal, its the most unsafe thing that you can possibly be in. And as for driving when Im frustrated or angry? If I had to do it all over again, Id pull over and try to cool down.

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