Maine driving lesson · Fit to Drive: Fatigue, Distraction, and Alcohol
Distractions, cell phones and aggressive driving
A 3-minute lesson from the Maine course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
A distraction is anything that takes your mind or body away from driving. Texting is the worst, but eating, adjusting the GPS or simply being upset all pull your attention off the road.
Distraction
Anything that takes your mind or body away from driving. Distractions cause crashes, injuries and deaths.
A driver under 18 is specifically prohibited from driving while using a mobile telephone or handheld electronic device. A violation is a traffic infraction.
Speeding, following too close, unsafe lane changes, not signaling turns and not obeying traffic controls such as stop signs, signals and rail crossing signals.
You're driving to work, worried about a meeting, sipping coffee and glancing at a billboard. That's cognitive, manual and visual distraction at once, exactly the combination behind most crashes. Set the cup down and focus on the road.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What are the three distinct types of driver distraction described in the handbook?
Auditory, visual, and tactile
Sensory, motor, and emotional
Physical, verbal, and mental
Visual, manual, and cognitive
Answer: Visual, manual, and cognitive
The handbook identifies visual, manual, and cognitive distractions as the three main types.