Distracted Driving

There are three main types of distractions:

Visual - taking your eyes off the road

Manual - taking your hands off the wheel

Cognitive - taking your mind off what you are doing

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving and increases the risk of crashing. While all distractions can endanger drivers’ safety, texting is the most alarming because it involves all three types of distraction.

Other distracting activities include:

• Using a cell phone

• Eating and drinking

• Talking to passengers

• Grooming

• Reading, including maps

• Using a navigation system

• Watching a video

• Changing the radio station/music selection

Using a cell phone while driving, whether it is hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent

Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.

80 percent of all crashes and 65 percent of near crashes involve some type of distraction.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.

Some other forms of distractions include daydreaming or dealing with strong emotions.