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Are you driving under influence of distractions?

Distracted driving is a specific type of inattention that occurs when motorists divert their attention away from the task of driving to focus on another activity.

The distractions can be electronic distractions, such as navigation systems, cell phones and texting, or more conventional distractions, such as interacting with passengers, eating and grooming.

Distracting tasks can affect drivers in different ways and are categorized into the following three types:

Visual – taking your eyes off the road
Manual – taking your hands off the wheel, and
Cognitive – taking your mind off the road

From 2008 to 2010, there were 179 fatal crashes and 1,199 serious injury crashes involving distracted drivers in Idaho that resulted in 192 deaths and 1,534 serious injuries. That represents 30 percent of all fatal crashes (and 29 percent of fatalities) and more than a third (36 percent) of all serious injury crashes and serious injuries.

Most (63 percent) of the vehicles involved in fatal and serious-injury distracted-driving crashes were going straight, while 15 percent were turning left and 11 percent were negotiating a curve. Driver inattention is a leading factor in many crashes, and cell phone use and texting are among the most common driver distractions.

“Although the right combination of education and enforcement does help to keep Idaho's highways safer, it ultimately is up to each one of us as motor vehicle operators to pay attention and stay focused on the task of driving to help eliminate death and injury on all Idaho roadways,” said Highway Safety Manager Brent Jennings.