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Distracted Driving

You May Not Even Realize You're Driving Distracted

You May Not Even Realize You're Driving Distracted

  • Liberty Mutual Teen Driving: driving distractions

    Common Distractions
    Activities drivers do and how much they increase their risk of a crash.

    23.2x  Text while driving
    3.4x     Read
    3.1x     Apply makeup
    2.8x     Dial handheld device
    2.3x     Handle CD
    1.6x     Eat
    1.3x     Talk or listen on handheld device

    Drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than one who isn't texting, according to a study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. The average time texting drivers have their eyes off the road to send or read a text is 4.6 seconds - at 55MPH that's enough time to travel the length of a football field.

    But texting isn't the only way a phone can distract you. Carrying on a conversation on the phone incorporates cognitive, auditory, and manual distractions. When you hop in the driver's seat, turn your phone off completely, or put it on vibrate and stash it away (out of sight, out of mind). Resist the temptation to peek at an incoming call or text by concealing it completely in the glove compartment or center storage bin.

    If you need your phone for business reasons, or are waiting for an important call, be sure to pull to the side of the road (if you are on the highway, direct your car to the nearest rest stop or exit) and ensure your car comes to a full stop (with the vehicle in park) in a safe area before picking up the phone, checking the text message or talking.

    Using a cell-phone, whether hands-free or hand-held, requires the brain to multitask - a process it is incapable of doing safely while driving. Hands-free phone usage still incorporates cognitive and auditory distractions that are best avoided altogether while driving or reserved for a time when you are safely parked at a rest stop, parking lot, or side of the road.

    Using an MP3 player, iPod or other external music device is also a distraction. We recommend creating a car playlist prior to setting out on your trip and only checking or updating the song list when the car is safely parked (not briefly stopped at a stop light).

    Typing an address or looking up a Point of Interest (POI) into a GPS while driving incorporates cognitive, visual and manual distractions that take your eyes off the road for extended periods of time and requires you to often lean over and lose most of your control over the car.

    4 Types of Distractions Defined:

    Cognitive - distractions to thought and concentration
    Auditory - using your ears
    Visual - using your eyes
    Manual - using your hands


    David F. Melton, CRSP, CDS, CCSP
    Dave Melton is the Director of Transportation Consulting Services at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety. Dave is responsible for developing and supporting transportation related safety and health services delivered by Liberty Mutual around the world. And with 39 years of expertise, it's no wonder that the Associated Press, New England Cable News, Fleet Owner and Transport Topics repeatedly turn to Dave for research-based advice on driving safety for individuals and professionals.

    Dave is a member of the permanent Committee on Truck and Bus Safety of the Transportation Research Board, National Academy of Sciences & Engineering; and is a member of the Advisory Council for the Center for Transportation Safety, Texas Transportation Institute, Texas A&M University. Dave also is the immediate past-Chairman of the Board of the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, and was a member of the Professional Truck Driver Institute board of directors.