Davis Law Group, P.S.

Unusual Distracted Driving Habits

Unusual distracted driving habits come is many forms. According to Distraction.gov, the official U.S. Department of Transportation distracted driving website, there are three kinds of distractions: visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distractions take your eye away from the road, manual distractions take your hands off the wheel and cognitive distractions take your mind off of what you're doing. All three kinds of distractions are equally dangerous because they all put you at risk of crashing. Distracted driving is any activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving, thus putting them and others in danger of having an accident. Here are some recent statistics that show the dangers of distracted driving:

• In 2009, there were 30,797 fatal crashes in the United States, which involved 45,230 drivers. In those crashes 33,808 people died.
• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction (16% of total fatalities).
• 20 percent of injury crashes in 2009 involved reports of distracted driving. (NHTSA).
• Of those killed in distracted-driving-related crashed, 995 involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction (18% of fatalities in distraction-related crashes). (NHTSA)
• In 2009, 5,474 people were killed in U.S. roadways and an estimated additional 448,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that were reported to have involved distracted driving. (FARS and GES)
• The age group with the greatest proportion of distracted drivers was the under-20 age group - 16 percent of all drivers younger than 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving. (NHTSA)
• Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

Distracted driving is dangerous driving, but people insist on doing things in their car without thinking about the potential risks. A recent survey of drivers in North America, Europe and Asia, conducted by Jabra (a mobile and wireless phone company) revealed some shocking results:

• 72% eat regularly while driving
  29% kiss others while driving
  28% text while driving
  25% style their hair or change clothes while driving
  15% have performed sex or sexual acts while driving
  13% apply makeup while driving
  12% read or write emails while driving
  10% read books, newspapers, or magazines while driving
  5% play video games while driving

Unusual distracted driving habits not only verge on ridiculous but they are extremely unsafe. Your car should only be used for one thing: getting from one place to another. If you are in your car and it's moving, the only thing you should be focusing on is driving. Driving safely takes complete involvement of your visual, manual, and cognitive senses. Losing one of these senses, even if for a minute or two, could cost you your life or someone else's. As always, it is better to be safe than sorry, so the next time you're driving, pay attention to the road and avoid distractions.