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Distractions are a significant challenge that new drivers face on the road, and the driving test does not fully prepare you for managing them.

Terry Cook, your host, explores various types of distractions, including passengers, mobile phone usage, and even daydreaming, highlighting the impact they can have on your driving. He emphasizes the importance of setting clear rules for passengers and taking control of your environment by communicating expectations before getting behind the wheel.

Additionally, he offers practical tips for maintaining focus, such as planning pit stops, using common sense with controls, and finding ways to stay alert during long drives. This episode aims to equip you with strategies to enhance your safety and confidence as you navigate real-world driving situations.

The Driving Test Podcast is here to give you all the information and tips you'll need to help you pass your driving test. Whether you're learning to drive, getting ready to start, or helping someone else, this show will get you in the right gear.

For more information head over to TCDrive.co.uk

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Check out the other TCDrive podcasts here.

Terry Cook, the host of the Driving Test Podcast, dives deep into the critical topic of distractions while driving, especially in the context of life after passing the driving test. Emphasizing that the driving test does not fully prepare learners for the reality of real-world driving, Terry outlines various distractions that drivers may face, including passengers, mobile phones, and even daydreaming. He notes that friends and family can unintentionally become distractions by engaging in conversations or activities that pull the driver's focus away from the road. Additionally, he highlights the hazards of hands-free phone use, which, while legal, can still divert mental attention from driving tasks. Through a thought-provoking discussion, Terry encourages listeners to adopt a proactive mindset regarding distractions, suggesting strategies such as setting clear rules for passengers and planning routes to minimize the need for phone use during driving.

Takeaways:

• Distractions while driving can come from passengers, pets, and even mobile phones.
• It's important to set rules for passengers in your car to minimize distractions.
• Using hands-free devices while driving may still distract you from the road.
• Planning pit stops during long drives can help manage distractions effectively.
• Practice dealing with distractions during driving lessons to prepare for real-life situations.
• Avoid using your mobile phone while driving and keep it on do not disturb.

Welcome to the Driving Test Podcast.

I am your host, Terry Cook of TC Drive, and I am here as your guide on your journey to passing your driving test and beyond.

That's right.

I'm also here to help prepare you for all those wonderful journeys you're gonna go on once you pass your driving test.

And today we are continuing our look at how the driving test doesn't prepare you for life on the road.

Now, this is day five of this miniseries and today we're going to be looking at distractions.

But just before we do, I want to take a moment to remind you that these episodes are being released throughout Road Safety Week, which is run by Brick, a road safety charity.

Now, Break help support some families of those who have lost their lives due to a road traffic collision.

Now, there's still too many of these.

On average, 70 to 75 people wind up in hospital every day as a result of a collision on UK roads.

So if you would like to take a moment to donate to Break, you can find a link in the show notes or you can Visit the website break.org uk.

But the idea of this podcast is to help keep you safe by talking to you about the way the driving test doesn't necessarily prepare you for real world driving and what you can do to get yourself ready.

So I'm continuing to share these daily episodes and today is day five, and as I said, we are looking at distractions.

So if you've missed any previous episodes, make sure I head back and check them out.

But regarding distractions, now, this is one of the things that the test will actually help you with a little bit, because you think of when you're on that test, you can have an examiner set next to you, they can potentially be a little bit of a distraction and you'll have a sat nav there, which, again, can also be a distraction.

So if thinking of things in the car, you've got two potential distractions there, but the examiners are generally pretty good.

They're not trying to distract you, they don't want to make the driving test harder for you, so they'll probably be quite accommodating where they can.

And regards to the SAT nav, the examiner's in charge of it.

So again, not quite the distraction it might be if you're driving by yourself, especially because if you go the wrong way, the examiner will just reroute you.

So if you do go the wrong way in a driving test, it's not a problem as long as you do it safely, whereas in real life you would then have to find your way back.

So, again, potentially a little bit easier on your driving test, but as with the other stuff we've spoke about this week, the test doesn't really highlight the real problems you'll face afterwards when you're out driving by yourself.

So what are some of the distractions you might face?

Well, there's obviously quite a lot, but I'm going to highlight a few of the key ones and passengers, friends and family.

Because while friends and family are often really chuffed that you passed and they want to get in the car with, sometimes they can be a little bit pestery, you know, rather than just letting you drive, they'll be trying to talk to you while you're doing your parallel park, or they'll be laughing because you've forgot to signal or interrupting you while you're going around about whatever they can get distracting.

Plus, even if they're not distracting you, they may be arguing or talk amongst themselves, which, again, distracts you.

You might have kids in the back that are playing up or potentially maybe even taking your pet somewhere, your pet dog who's in the back of the car distracting you.

And if it's not people in person, it could be someone on mobile phone.

Now, you're not allowed to use a mobile phone whilst you're driving, but you are allowed to use hands free, although I do encourage you don't do that.

But you are allowed to use a hands free, which in itself can be quite distracting because the person on the other end talking to you can't see what's going on, so they've no idea what you're doing.

Whereas someone in a car will potentially be more likely to shut up and let you do it.

Someone on the phone wouldn't.

But we've also got the notifications from phone.

So if you haven't switched your phone off, potentially in the passenger seat, and you might call me, right, you get notifications can be distracting you, making you start thinking about other things other than your driving.

We've also got other aspects like using the entertainment system or different controls, eating and drinking while you're driving, potentially, which isn't ideal.

Daydreaming and losing focus, you know, all these distractions that you're going to get day to day whilst you're driving.

Especially, you know, imagine driving to work and you start thinking about what you're doing at work that day, or driving home, or thinking about what you're doing at home that night.

Nothing wrong with those things.

But if you think about it too much again, you're going to get distracted.

So what can you do?

Well, the first suggestion I'm going to make here is my car, my rules.

Now this was something brought about by the honest truth.

And anyone that is a student of mine will know what the honest truth is.

A lot of driving instructors using this.

Now, it's a series of videos that help prepare you for post test driving.

And one of the things that we speak about is my car, my rules.

So anyone that gets in your car has to abide by your rules and you tell them that beforehand.

And I think that's actually the biggest thing there is talking to your passengers before they get in the car.

Whether that's your mom or your dad or your friends or your little brother or whatever.

Tell them your expectations of them as passengers.

Maybe that's telling them that when you say shut up, they have to shut up.

And you will say shut up.

And just as a little aside there, I tell a lot of my students if I'm ever talking and they need me be quiet.

They've got my full permission just to tell me to shut up.

And I won't take offense because I want to let them focus.

So talking to your passengers beforehand about that can be a big help in that scenario because they then know what to expect.

I would also throw into that allowing some extra time because if you've got those passengers, you might find your driving change a little bit.

You might find you miss your exit because someone's distracting you.

So having those passengers in again kind of distract you in different ways.

So allowing an extra few minutes, an extra 10 or 15 minutes for your journey, yeah, potentially you'll get there early, but it's going to take the pressure off that drive.

That way if someone's distracting you and as the example I used, you miss your exit.

Not the end of the world.

You can take the next junction.

Also, don't be afraid to pull up.

So if you've got people in your car, maybe it's the kids that are carrying on or maybe it's, yeah, friends that are being a nuisance.

Don't be afraid to pull up at the side of the road and refuse to carry on unless these guys behave themselves.

Because you're the one that's driving.

It's your car, you're in charge, no one else.

You don't want to let anyone else do that.

You won't let someone carry on that way in your house.

Don't let them carry on that way in your car.

And you can always refuse to drive people in the first place.

So maybe there's people out there that you think, this person is going to be a real bugbear in my car.

Don't drive them, simple as that.

It's your car, your rules.

So let's move on because I want to speak a little bit about mobile phones, because you're likely to have your mobile phone with you, you just are.

But using a mobile phone whilst driving is really dangerous.

It's not always the idea of holding it and texting or anything like that.

It's what that does to your brain while you're doing it.

It stops you focusing on the road and makes you focus and think about what you're doing with your phone, whether that's a text, whether it's a phone call or whatever.

So avoid using hands free where possible and do not use your phone at all whilst driving.

Hands free can have a really big impact on your driving because it takes up a lot of your brain power.

So whilst it's legal, it's not ideal.

So what I would suggest is that you put your mobile on, do not disturb, just don't be contacted.

Use your drive as your way to have a nice pleasant drive, whether that's in silence, because you're the person that just enjoys some silence, a nice long drive in the country or whatever.

Or maybe it's your opportunity, listen to a podcast or an audio book, or if you're a music person, create a playlist before you start your drive.

So that way you've already got it there.

You don't need to faff about changing your stuff whilst you're driving.

I'm not gonna say and say to you, put your phone in your glove box, because I don't think that's realistic, because a lot of you will use your phone for Google Maps, for example, as the sat nav.

So I'm not gonna tell you to put it away, but I really would suggest you have it on.

Do not disturb.

Use that drive as a bit of peace and quiet time for you.

I also want to suggest in that where possible, if it's a longer journey, planning pit stops.

Now, you may not need to take that pit stop, but if you're driving an hour somewhere, either whether it's looking at a map or whether it's because you know the road, think of, I can stop at these places on the way if I desire.

That way, if you get hungry, if you get thirsty, you're not try to take a drink or undo a bottle whilst you're driving or anything like that.

You pull up in that place and have a 10 minute break.

You planned it in advance.

Now you might not need that.

You might be able to go straight there.

But just by spending a few minutes beforehand planning in and thinking I can stop here takes all that pressure off.

And I would also say adding in, start using the common sense and picking and choosing your time for fiddling with the controls.

So let's say you are skipping songs.

Maybe you wait until you're off a certain stretch of road.

Maybe you wait until you've completed the overtake maneuver.

Maybe you prioritize where your focus is and go right for the next five minutes.

I'm just paying attention to this thing.

So it's using common sense sometimes.

And I also mentioned earlier on about daydreaming and losing focus.

It does happen, especially if you're driving by yourself.

So a couple of things I would suggest here.

One is cranking you in the darn.

Getting some fresh air into that car is a big way just to revitalize yourself.

Second thing I would say wiggle your backside.

So whenever you sat in your seat, if you've been on a long journey, we tend to start slumping down a little bit.

As soon as you wiggle your backside in that seat, it straightens you up, it lifts your shoulders up and it makes you more alert and it helps you focus back on what you're doing.

So wiggle your backside.

And lastly, talk to yourself every now and again.

If you find your concentrations going and what you have for tea that night or oh, what's that pink car doing over there?

Talk about what's coming up.

You could maybe you've seen a sign and you say, oh, that exit is mine, so I want to get in this lane.

Or you could see a roundabout come up and you say, oh, roundabout, I'm going third exit.

Whatever it is, identify something up ahead and comment on it slightly.

That's going to put your focus back on what you're doing rather than focusing on the.

The nice daydream you were having about the cheese on toast you're having when you get home.

So a lot of this stuff that I've mentioned there can actually be practiced with your driving instructor.

So you can ask your driving instructor to pester you a little bit while you're driving to talk to you at inappropriate times and put you in that situation.

And then you have to practice dealing with that.

You can have the conversation about your mobile phone with your instructor.

You can sit down with your instructor and make some my car, my rules to give to your passengers or talk to your passengers when you, when, when you come in, you can plan your pit stops.

I think these are all things that we can talk about on our lessons.

They're not always things that we can specifically practice, but whether you're going with your parents or driving instructor, I think these are all things that you can be thinking about on your lessons.

And some of them, as we've identified, you can practice.

Some of them we can just be aware of and start planning for when you're off driving by yourself for the first time.

Very exciting.

So I hope you've enjoyed this little look at distractions and how the driving test won't necessarily prepare you for managing those distractions, even though you've got a few on there.

And I hope that you've taken note of these and apply some of these into your lessons and your driving as well.

Now, there's another couple of these to come, and if you're enjoying these or find them useful, please consider notating to break this week.

You'll find a link in the show notes, but for now, make sure you subscribe to the Driving Test podcast because we'll be returning with a brand new format soon.

And until next time, stay safe and drive safer.