A crash-causing lapse of attention usually comes from a distraction or from lack of sleep. Both slow your reactions the way alcohol does. Your eyes, ears and health also affect how well you can respond.
Distraction
Anything that takes your attention away from driving, takes your eyes off the road, or takes your hands off the wheel.
Handbook p. 36 ↗Distractions that slow your reactions
- Eating, drinking and smoking
- Adjusting the radio or other audio devices
- Talking on a cell phone, hands-free or not
- Interacting with passengers (a special problem for teen drivers)
- Searching for or moving an object in the vehicle
- Reading, writing or texting; personal grooming
- Rubbernecking at a crash scene or work zone; looking at things off the roadway
Know the rule
Headphones or earpieces may be used in one ear only, and only for communication.
Handbook p. 36 ↗Know the rule
Teen drivers carrying teen passengers are more likely to crash than when driving alone or with adult passengers.
Handbook p. 36 ↗Share of police-reported crashes caused by driver distraction and inattention (about 1.2 million crashes a year)
Handbook p. 36 ↗How often drivers miss an important road event
| Driver | Misses it |
|---|---|
| Normal, undistracted driver | 3% of the time |
| Adult dialing a cell phone | 13% of the time |
| Teenager dialing a cell phone | 53% of the time |
Know the rule
When you're tired you react slower, your judgment and vision are impaired, and you have trouble understanding and remembering things. You may even fall asleep without knowing it.
Handbook p. 37 ↗Fatigue compared with alcohol
| Hours awake | Impairs you about like a BAC of |
|---|---|
| 18 hours | .05 percent |
| 24 hours in a row | .10 percent |
Know the rule
Teens who sleep less than eight hours a night are at increased risk of crashes. The best thing to do if you begin to feel tired while driving is to stop driving.
Handbook p. 37 ↗U.S. crashes a year caused by falling asleep at the wheel (1,500 deaths, 40,000 injuries); almost half involve drivers 15 to 24
Handbook p. 37 ↗Know the rule
Have your vision checked every one or two years. Side vision, distance judgment and low-light vision can decline with disease or age without you noticing.
Handbook p. 37 ↗Know the rule
Hearing warns you of dangers you can't see: a vehicle in your blind spot, an approaching emergency vehicle or a train at a crossing.
Handbook p. 37 ↗Know the rule
The most dangerous health problems for driving are seizure disorders that cause loss of consciousness, diabetes and heart conditions. Pennsylvania physicians must report drivers with conditions that could impair safe driving.
Handbook p. 37 ↗Put it into practice
After a 24-hour shift you feel your eyes closing on the drive home. Coffee and an open window won't fix it: being awake 24 hours impairs you about as much as a .10 BAC. Pull off safely and stop driving.