3 Phone Safety Tips For Handicap Drivers

For every driver, including disabled drivers, the day you get your license is memorable. After all, it gives you the freedom to go where you want, when you want. For many disabled drivers, the biggest distraction when driving was the radio or CD player for many years, but today things are different. Everyone has a smartphone – and that smartphone can create dangerous driving situations.

Staying safe on the road should be the number one priority for anyone behind the wheel. Here are a few top phone safety tips for handicap drivers.

What Should You Do With Your Phone While Driving?

Having your phone with you when you’re on the road gives you peace of mind. After all, if something were to happen, it’s great to be able to call for help. No one is saying that to stay safe you shouldn’t have your phone with you – it’s what you do with your phone while driving that makes a difference when it comes to safety.

Your smartphone is, well, smart. It has several features you can use to help you stay safe on the road, and you should learn to use them. For starters, you should find your phone’s Do Not Disturb setting and use it before you get on the road. This setting won’t allow you to get any notifications or calls as you drive. And while you may worry about missing calls, it’s one of the best things you can do to prevent distraction and accidents when you’re behind the wheel.

driver getting passenger to use phone while they drive
Image by Talles Alves on Unsplash: What is the safest way to make a phone call when driving? Have a friend do it for you!

You can also use hands-free devices while driving. So what does hands-free cell phone mean, exactly? It means that you can place or take a call without using your hands, an approach that can help to reduce distracted driving. Many newer cars have a display that allows you to hook up your phone and take or make calls with your voice only when driving. A Bluetooth device is another option. Can you talk on Bluetooth while driving? Yes, you can, but you should try to keep conversations to a minimum while on the road.

If you’re driving with someone else, put them in charge of the phone! They can be your co-pilot and take control of anything you need to do on your phone while you’re behind the wheel. If you don’t have a passenger with you, do everything you need on your phone before you leave and then place it somewhere safe where it won’t distract you while you’re driving.

Top 3 Things You Shouldn’t Do When Driving

Distracted driving is extremely dangerous. In fact, according to the National Safety Council, 1.6 million car accidents each year are caused by distracted driving. That’s why it’s vital to do what you can to reduce how distracted you are in the car. Make sure you:

  1. Never text and drive. Texting while driving is the cause behind one quarter of car accidents. In many states, it’s also illegal, so make sure to know the laws where you are.
  2. Don’t eat while driving. Eating is another way you can become distracted while driving. Make sure only to eat in your car when it’s not in motion (which will probably help you from spilling food too!).
  3. Don’t use social media. Never use your phone to view social media, take pictures, or film video when driving. Keep your eyes on the road and make sure driving has your full attention, not your newest Snapchat filter.
person taking photo with phone while driving
Image by Marlon Lara on Unsplash: What should you do with your phone while driving? Definitely NOT this.

What Is The Safest Way to Make a Call When Driving?

If you do have to make or take a call while driving, the safest way to do so is by using the hands-free methods discussed above. However, be sure you are legally allowed to do this where you live before you set things up to go hands-free.

If you live in a place where talking on the phone in any way is a no-no, always safely find a place to pull off the road and park while you take any call. Better still, simply call them back or do so yourself after you’ve reached your destination.

Remember, driving is a privilege and a responsibility. You have the privilege to drive as long as you do it in a responsible way that takes into account your safety and the safety of others on the road. Your phone will always be there, as will your social media and anyone who calls. Don’t put yourself at risk – be smart with your smartphone when behind the wheel!

Featured image by Eugene Chystiakov on Unsplash

Driving And Cellphones: The Dangers And The Solutions

Driving and cellphones are a troublesome combination. Only twenty years ago, cellphones were extremely rare and comically cumbersome machines. But these days, if you do not have a cellphone, you are in a vanishingly rare minority. They’re everywhere, and most people spend a good chunk of their waking hours staring at their cellphone screen.

Cellphones have brought a lot of good to the world. They benefit people’s lives in many ways; today, most details of a person’s life are monitored and organized by their phone. But they do have their detractors. People say that cellphone usage has become so constant in the lives of most people that in-person social interactions have dried up and people have become more isolated and lonely. Cellphones becoming so ubiquitous has its pros and cons, but the value or harm that a person’s cellphone usage brings to their lives surely depends on how they use their phone.

One way that cellphone usage can cause enormous harm is if they use their phone while driving. Using a cellphone while driving can have disastrous, tragic consequences for the cellphone user and other road users that come into contact with them. Read on for all you need to know about driving and cellphones, and why they can be such a dangerous combination.

Dr Handicap - vehicle accident
Image by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay: What are the dangers of using a cellphone while driving?

What Are The Dangers Of Using A Cellphone While Driving?

Using a cellphone while driving disrupts a driver’s concentration and focus. The resulting distracted driving makes having a crash considerably more likely. Studies have shown that using a cellphone while driving increase the likelihood of getting into a crash by an enormous 400%!

On average, nine people are killed and 1,000 are injured on American roads every day due to distracted driving. A large amount of this distraction is caused by using a cellphone while behind the wheel.

What Are The Risks Of Using A Cellphone For Disabled Drivers?

Disabled drivers face all the same risks if they use a cellphone while driving. For some disabled drivers who have a lot of adaptive driving equipment installed in their vehicle that they need to operate and monitor, distraction from a cellphone may even be more problematic.

Can I Answer My Phone While Driving?

It is very dangerous to answer a handheld cellphone while driving. The vast majority of US states have banned handheld cellphone usage while driving. Texting while driving is also illegal in almost every state, and even in the tiny minority of states that have not yet made handheld cellphone usage while driving illegal, we strongly advise that you do not do it.

You can answer your phone while driving if it is connected to a hands-free device and you are over 18.

Solutions To Stop Cellphone Use While Driving

Here are some suggestions for avoiding cellphone use entirely while driving.

  • Use apps that detect when your vehicle is moving and prevent your phone from receiving calls and texts, such as AT&T DriveMode
  • Use settings that block your cellphone’s function while in the car
  • Set your phone to drive mode if it is available
  • Put your cellphone on silent mode
  • Put your cellphone out of reach while driving
  • Turn your cellphone off while driving
  • Use a separate GPS device so you don’t have to use your cellphone for navigation

Cellphone Safety Tips While Driving

Here are some suggestions for using a cellphone safely while driving.

  • Use a hands-free device
  • Only use hands-free when in situations where a conversation won’t cause a dangerous distraction
Disabled Parking - car conversion
Image by StockSnap on Pixabay: What are the solutions to stop cellphone use while driving?

How To Get A Disabled Parking Permit

Getting a disabled parking permit can bring huge improvements to a disabled driver’s quality of life. The qualifying conditions for a disabled permit vary slightly state by state, but the most common qualifying conditions are:

  • Not being able to walk 200 feet without needing to stop to rest
  • Any condition that impairs mobility to the extent that the use of a walking aid such as a wheelchair, brace, or cane is required.
  • Lung disease
  • Heart disease
  • Legal blindness
  • An orthopedic, neurological, or arthritic condition that impairs mobility

The best way to apply for a permit is to arrange an online consultation with a medical professional through Dr. Handicap. Once your condition has been verified, your DMV application form will be filled out by the medical professional, and you’ll be on your way to accessing more convenient parking wherever you go.

Featured image by Pexels on Pixabay