by Ronni Dee

Created on: September 10, 2009

According the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, there were 37,261 fatalities reported from 34,017 fatal vehicle accidents. 5,290 of these fatalities were motorcyclists.

Sadly, many of these fatalities, and even more injuries, could be prevented each year if motor vehicle drivers pay more attention to their vehicle, the road, and their surroundings rather than to other distractions.

Cell Phones

Talking on a cellular phone while driving is not only dangerous and distracting, but it can be deadly. Many drivers feel it is safe if they use a Bluetooth hands free ear piece that allows them to talk to their caller without holding the phone to their ear. While this does free up your second hand, it still can be very distracting, especially if the other end of the phone call is business or family related.

If the phone call cannot wait until you reach your destination, pull off the road to take the call. The second that it takes to answer the phone just to say 'I will call you back when I get home' could be the deadliest thing you have ever done.

Texting and/or emailing from your cellular phone or PDA are even worse than simply talking. This type of communication takes more time to type your response and leaves a greater chance of error and accident. The best thing to do is to pull off of the road, or wait until you get to your destination, to answer the email or text message. Every letter you type, especially if you do not have a full QWERTY keyboard, is seconds that your eyes are not on the road and your hand is not on the wheel.

Makeup

Believe it or not, I have seen women applying makeup, usually mascara or eyeliner, while driving. This may seem like you are saving time by doing part of your routine in your car; but unfortunately, it could end up being the death of you, someone you love, or a complete stranger that someone else loves.

Applying makeup in the car, while driving, not only takes your hand or hands off the wheel, it also takes your eyes off the road and into the makeup mirror or even the rearview mirror. The solution is simple for this small task; apply your makeup at home, or touch it up when you reach your destination.

Reading

Before the days of Tom-Tom, Garmin, and Google Maps we used traditional paper maps and found our route and destination without the use of a computer. However, many people still use traditional paper maps. Reading anything while driving, a book, a newspaper, a magazine, the mornings business email, is dangerous.

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