John Price Law Blog

How Emotions Affect Driving

In the US, nine people die every day because of distracted driving. While most forms of distracted driving are preventable, emotions are less preventable and can be just as distracting. April is both Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Stress Awareness Month. This April, we want to bring attention to how emotions, like stress, can lead to dangerous distracted driving.

Below, we talk about how emotions affect your driving, and what to do when you find yourself overcome with emotion while driving.

Distracting Emotions

Both negative and positive emotions can distract a driver. Negative emotions, such as anger or stress, can lead to distractions. From anger over someone cutting you off on the road to stress from a frustrating day at work, these emotions can make us distracted behind the wheel.

Positive emotions, like excitement about a promotion at the office, can also lead to less than focused driving. Both positive and negative emotions can lead to serious consequences when driving, including fender benders and accidents. In most cases of distracted driving, the distracted driver is responsible for any incident that occurs.

What To Do While Driving

If you’re driving and become overwhelmed with emotion, pull over. Take the time to calm down with deep breathing, especially if you’re feeling stressed or angry. Techniques such as counting backwards or turning on some calming music can also help you relax.

Even if it’s a positive emotion, try the same techniques listed above. While that promotion at work is exciting, it shouldn’t distract you from the road.

Tackling Stress Where It Starts

The best way to keep stress from distracting you while you drive? Tackle it at the source. If you often feel yourself overwhelmed by stress or anger, meditating or talking to a professional could be useful. Also remember that it is not your emotions that have control over you. You have control over your emotions. Don’t let emotions take over your driving, because if you let them, they may lead to serious consequences.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by distracted driving, we may be able to help. Call the John Price Law Firm at (843) 552-6011 or visit our website to see how we can help you.

Additional Resources:

https://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/driving-and-emotions.php
http://www.stress.org.uk/national-stress-awareness-month-2018/