20100128 Dangerous Driving Habits (1)

Dangerous Driving Habits

Some things to avoid when behind the wheel of your car

Quite often we see people driving recklessly and paying no attention to anyone else on the road. In fact, over 75 percent of the time, car accidents happen because of carelessness and driver error. What about you? Are you a safe driver, or have you developed dangerous driving habits that put you and others at risk?

Distractions - a major factor
According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distractions lead to one-fourth of all U.S. crashes. And drivers who don't pay attention to the road cause 10 percent of all fatal crashes.

The following actions may seem harmless, but they contribute to accidents every day:
Eating, drinking and smoking while driving
Tuning the radio
Picking somthing up off the floor
Reading a map or some other material
Turning to talk to someone
Opening the glove compartment
Watching something on the side of the road
Putting on makeup
Any of these distractions can steal your attention away only briefly.
But those few seconds your eyes are off the road could change your life forever.