Stop Texting and Driving for Good

Some are still tempted to text while driving, here are some tips to avoid this terrible habit

Everyone knows that texting and driving is terribly unsafe and illegal, however many people still struggle to put their phones away when they’re behind the wheel. For some people, just telling them to put their phone away just isn’t enough.  Here are some tips for dropping your texting and driving habit for good:

Put your phone on silent

If you aren’t able to hear your messages come in, you won’t be as likely to carry on a conversation when you’re behind the wheel. While this likely won’t cut out texting and driving entirely, it’s an easy and simple way to reduce the time you spend looking at your phone. Sometimes, it’s better to take baby steps.
If you want, you can even take it a step further and turn off your phone altogether.

Put your phone out of reach

Here’s an idea: place your phone so far away from the driver’s seat that you couldn’t reach it even if you wanted to. While this is likely to cause some level of anxiety at first, like any new habit – it will become easier and easier the more times you do it.
If you really have the urge to check your messages, pull over to the side of the road and do it there. Sure, this may extend your commute by a few extra minutes, but at least you won’t have to worry about putting yourself in harm’s way.

Answer all messages beforehand

Instead of answering important texts and emails when you’re on the road, take a few minutes before you leave and answer them while you’re still in the parking lot.  If you find yourself too rushed in the morning to do this, set your alarm just ten minutes earlier to give yourself ample time.

Have your co-pilot read/reply

If you’re not alone, always ask the person in your passenger’s seat to check your phone for you. If the message is important enough to respond to right away, simply tell them what to type.

There’s an app for that

If you really struggle with texting and driving you could consider downloading an app that blocks messages from coming in when you’re in the car.
Drive Mode, TextNoMore, and Focus can all be set up to block notifications from coming in until you’ve reached your destination. Considering they’re all free, you don’t really have an excuse to not try one out at the very least.

Set up your GPS ahead of time

Sometimes, drivers are constantly checking their phone because they have no idea where they’re going.  Instead of checking Google Maps every two minutes, plug your destination into your GPS before you leave. Even if you don’t own a GPS, you can still have Google Maps run in the background to help you navigate.
If you’re with other people, let them do the navigating.