A 3-minute lesson from the New Jersey course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Driving takes your full attention. Distracted drivers tailgate, speed, drift out of their lanes and miss signs. Fatigue is just as dangerous; New Jersey treats knowingly driving while exhausted as reckless.
Know the rule
Many crashes are caused by distracted motorists. Your full attention must be on the road at all times.
Communicate with other drivers: stay in the lane that shows where you'll turn, use turn or hand signals, make eye contact, tap the horn if needed, and at night flip quickly from low to high and back to low.
Three hours into a late-night drive, you catch yourself staring at the taillights ahead and missing signs. That's highway hypnosis. Stop to rest (the manual says every two hours) or switch drivers.
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.
Which of these is listed as a common cause of inattentive driving?
Checking mirrors before changing lanes
Reaching across to close a door
Signaling before a turn
Keeping both hands on the wheel
Answer: Reaching across to close a door
Reaching across the seat to close a door or look in the glove compartment is listed as a cause of inattentive driving.