Negative Health Impacts of Driving and How to Deal with It [Infographic]
Driving provides convenience to people; however, not many realize that it can negatively affect a driver’s health and well-being.
Driving has been linked to physical and mental health issues that can result in road accidents. Accordingly, the 2019 annual report from the Metro Manila Accident Reporting and Analysis System (MMARAS) has indicated that human error, such as driver fatigue and loss of vehicle control, is among the factors that contributed to the 121,771 road traffic accidents in 2019.
Like implementing safety road precautions to stay safe on roads, drivers can deal with the negative health impacts of driving by understanding how driving affects their health.
Stress-driving can affect your mental health.
Many things happen on the road, and there will be a time when drivers find something that will stress them out. And stress is often linked to a lot of health issues and mental health risks.
As driving-related stress can impact a person’s mental health, drivers should learn how to manage their stress, particularly when driving on the road, to offset some of the driving’s health risks. Minding their own driving and practicing defensive driving can also help them lessen their stresses.
Sitting for long periods can affect your physical health.
Traffic in the metro has gotten so bad that people driving on roads often sit on their cars for long periods before arriving at their destinations. Sitting for long stretches hurt the body, allowing poor posture to persist and resulting in many other physical health problems like lower back pain, knee pain, joint stiffness, and muscle tightness.
As there is not much room in the car for most drivers to do stretching, they should strive to adopt the best driving position to relieve their bodies from experiencing body pain or poor posture.
Driving can tire you out and cause fatigue.
Although driving is generally sitting inside the car and controlling the stirring wheel, drivers can still get exhausted. Driver fatigue is influenced by many factors, including lack of sleep and exhaustion from a person’s daily routine. Drivers experiencing fatigue, mainly while behind the wheel, can be dangerous as it can result in an accident.
Hence, to avoid suffering from fatigue and being involved in an accident, drivers should get between 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep before driving, particularly when embarking on a long journey. If they begin to feel tired, they should pull over and take a break.
Conclusion
Road accidents are often consequences of environmental, vehicular, or driving risks, such as stress, driver fatigue, and other physical health problems. Therefore, to avoid road traffic accidents and injuries, drivers must be well-versed in these risk factors and know how to deal with them.
Besides dealing with the negative health impacts of driving, drivers must also consider availing car insurance premiums to have peace of mind, as it can financially protect them and their vehicles if an accident or property damage occurs.
When selecting a car insurance policy, conducting a car insurance comparison Philippines through a comparison website can help you look for the best car insurance option for you.
iChoose PH is a car insurance comparison site in the Philippines. It enables car owners to see the ideal coverage plan that suits their needs and budget. Visit our website at iChoose.ph to view unbiased quotations from some of the industry’s leading car insurance companies.
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