Drivers have always been multi-taskers. Checking traffic signs and lights, watching out for pedestrians, navigating traffic and the other drivers on the road have all become so deeply ingrained as a part of our driving routine that we barely notice them as potential driving distractions. That is due, in part, to the fact that we have learned to focus on the essential aspects of driving so we can drive safely and effectively.

The first time anyone gets behind the wheel of a car, it is overwhelming how much of your attention is needed to drive safely. Once you have learned the basic skills of driving, however, the task of driving become easy and no longer requires your full-time attention. The space in our attention needs to be filled and other non-driving tasks begin consuming our attention. Talking to passengers, eating, grooming, checking out passers-by, adjusting the radio have all become part of the normal routine of everyday driving.

Inattentive and distracted drivers have always been problematic. However, that has reached a new level with the introduction of the ‘mobile office’. We now have cellular phones and PDAs that can email, fax and give us instant internet connection making it possible to make our car our ‘mobile office’. Add to that driver assistance technologies with global positioning systems and onboard navigational devices and the driver distraction issue becomes an actual driving disruption that can result in an accident.

As driving responsibly requires a significant amount of our attention, any in-car interruption that involves us mentally and physically (ie: taking notes, jotting down a phone number, texting, turning to speak to the person in the back seat, etc.) produces the highest risk for driving disruption. The top five distractions according to both teens and parents are:

· Changing the radio station; tape or CD

· Exceeding the speed limit

· Driving without both hands on the steering wheel

· Talking on the phone

· Eating

Nearly 90 percent of respondents said they, a family member or a close friend had experienced the effects of a car crash, yet more than half (56 percent) didn’t change their driving habits because of the crash. If they are changing behavior after the crash, the tendency was to shift the focus to other drivers rather than themselves.
If you have been involved in a Massachusetts auto accident, contact our office at (800) 930-8145 or (978) 474-8670 for advice on your case.

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