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Consumer Tips

Stop These Top Five Distracting Driving Habits

It's harmless to sip your coffee on the way to work, right? Maybe not so much! 

Some of the things you do regularly behind the wheel have become so ordinary you might not realize you’re driving distracted and may be at risk of a car accident. But if your eyes, hands or mind are focused on anything but driving, you fit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s definition of a distracted driver.

Stop These Top Five Distracting Driving Habits


Consider these five distracting driving habits and how to change them:

  1. Eating or drinking
    Hot coffee spills, greasy hands or stray crumbs could distract you from the road. Eat before you get behind the wheel or after you’ve reached your destination. If you need a snack now, find some place off the road to stop.
     
  2. Making hands-free calls
    You may not take your hands off the wheel, but calls can take your mind off the road. Turn off your phone’s Bluetooth capabilities before you drive off, and silence your phone to help prevent temptation. If you really need to make a call, safely pull over to talk.
     
  3. Messing with dials or controls
    Adjusting volume, looking for a radio station, plugging in GPS directions or turning up the heat diverts your eyes from the road. Take care of all of the above before shifting into gear. If you must make adjustments, wait until you come to a complete stop at a stoplight, pull over safely, or ask your front-seat passenger to handle them.
     
  4. Paying attention to other passengers
    Young children and infants can be up to eight times more distracting than adult passengers, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Make sure your little ones have something to occupy them. Or stop the car and pull over safely before investigating the cause of screaming or crying.
     
  5. Applying makeup or shaving
    The vanity mirror blocks your eyes from the road. Give yourself enough time before leaving home to finish getting ready.

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