Please, please stop making video calls while driving

Opinion from

Eric Zeman

We all know that using our mobile devices behind the wheel is dangerous, but many of us do it anyway. A new survey from Farmers Insurance shows how many people participate in Chancy behavior while driving, and I want to tell you that it does way too many.

Case in point: I was almost hit by a distracted driver yesterday.

Coming home from an errand, I was preparing for a left turn. A driver from the opposite direction turned right onto the same street. While I waited for the car to turn right, the driver behind it turned into oncoming traffic via a double yellow line to avoid the turning car from going backwards. The aggressive driver nearly cut off the front end of my car as he sped by and returned to his own lane. Was he looking at the street? Not at all. He used his cell phone. Where I live in New Jersey, it is strictly illegal to have a phone in hand while driving.

A third of younger drivers admitted video chatting while driving.

The vast majority of farmers surveyed say that everyone knows right about wrong. About 87% said that people who use their phones while driving pose a danger to others on the road. Amazingly, 53% of the same people said they made calls while driving and 45% sent or read text messages. It’s no wonder that in 2020, according to the National Safety Council, the number of road deaths in the US rose 8%, despite fewer drivers on the road due to the pandemic.

This is where things get really crazy: a third of Millennial and Gen Z drivers who responded to the survey admitted to video chatting while driving. This is just insane. 28% said they watched social media while driving, 27% said they played games behind the wheel, and 24% said they streamed videos while driving. These numbers are just too high.

Help is at hand

I know it takes discipline to hang up and ignore the phone, especially when it buzzes and rings, but the technology is here to help us.

Many newer cars support both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay or have their own bespoke in-car systems that you can pair with your phone. Take the time to connect your phone to your car. This can help reduce the risk of responding to calls or messages while driving. Even if your car doesn’t have Android Auto, it will work on your phone. Along with having a bluetooth connection to the car, make sure that all calls you take are hands-free. You can even use the Google Assistant. It is there to help.

See also: The best car chargers

If you find that these do not help or are insufficient, use the drive mode of your Android phone or the do not disturb mode of your iPhone. These features mute calls and texts when the phone detects that it is moving in a car. More importantly, they can be set to turn on automatically so you don’t have to remember to turn the modes on yourself.

If you absolutely need access to your phone while in a vehicle, make sure it’s in a safe place that doesn’t affect your ability to drive. Use a car holder or bracket to hold it in place. We are more likely to grab it when it is on our lap. So having it in a safe place can alleviate some of those fears.

These are just a few of the possible solutions. Google, Apple, and others created these tools for one reason: to save your life. Please use them for everyone.