We’ve all done it…driving while distracted.
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Cell phones, babies crying, eating, drinking, gawking at the accident on the other side of the highway, putting on make up, shaving, changing the radio station or CD, a gabby passenger, reaching for something that slipped off the seat, lighting a cigarette and even reading! We’ve all engaged in some sort of distracting activity while driving.
It only takes a split second for a crash to occur and when you’re not paying attention that split second of distraction can be catastrophic.
A study conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that every driver is driving while distracted some of the time. The study also indicates that distractions are an every day occurrence for the drivers in the study.
Consider this breakdown of the most common distracting activities while driving.
% of Subjects % of Total Time
|
Reaching, leaning, etc
|
97.1
|
3.8
|
|
Manipulating music/audio controls
|
91.4
|
1.4
|
|
Eating, drinking, etc.
|
71.4
|
4.6
|
|
Conversing
|
77.1
|
15.3
|
|
Grooming
|
45.7
|
0.3
|
|
Passenger
|
44.4
|
0.9
|
|
Reading or writing
|
40.0
|
0.7
|
|
Using cell phone
|
30.0
|
1.3
|
|
Smoking
|
7.1
|
1.6
|
Most drivers don’t even realize that they engage in these distractions, it’s just a part of driving. But these distracting activities contribute to about twenty-five percent of all traffic crashes or 1.2 million incidents.
So, let’s try to pay attention the next time we’re behind the wheel…you never know if the driver in the next lane is distracted until it’s too late.