Three Types Of Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving ("Facts and Statistics"). Being distracted while driving doesn’t just affect you but it affects your passengers and the drivers in other vehicles as well. Every day many people are distracted when driving and don’t even know it. You may change the radio station, call someone on the phone, or send a text message to a friend. All of these are distractions even though they may not seem like it. Some distractions are more dangerous than others. Every year about thirty-seven thousand people die in automobile crashes in the United States (Hopkins). Also every year about 421,000 people are injured in crashes that have involved a driver who was distracted in some way

Examples of visual distraction include turning around and talking to your kids, being on your phone, or messing with your GPS. Manual distraction is when the driver takes one or both hands off the wheel for any reason ("3 Types of Distracted Driving"). Examples of manual distraction include eating and drinking while you drive, adjusting your GPS, or getting something out of your purse or wallet. Everyone has been distracted when they are driving whether they know it or not. There are many ways to be distracted when driving. Distractions include texting, eating or drinking while driving, talking to your passengers, reading (including maps), using a GPS, changing stations on your radio, and using your phone to call someone. The most dangerous of the these distractions is texting and driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driving a vehicle while texting is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated (Leder). When you look down to text on your phone it only takes about three to five seconds for an accident to