Driving.  You can see it all while you are on the road.  Sometimes you wonder why there are not more accidents. 

We are all guilty of getting distracted in one way or another.  There are way too many things now to stop us from thinking clearly when we get behind the wheel.

Researchers at the University of Michigan recently spent eight months conducting a study at two of the state's hospitals. Between October 2011 and May 2012, the team interviewed parents and caregivers of children ages one through 12 who'd been brought to the emergency rooms at those facilities.

During the interviews, respondents were asked how often they'd performed certain distracting activities while driving within the previous month. According to a press release, "[t]hese behaviors included getting directions (navigation system, map) talking on the phone (hands-free or handheld), texting/surfing the Internet, self-care (grooming, eating),changing a CD or DVD, and child care (picking up a toy, feeding their child)."

Most drivers had succumbed to at least four of the ten distractions suggested by the study's researchers. But while child-care did rank high on the list, it wasn't number one. Here are the top six results, in reverse order:  6. Texting. 5. Entertainment. 4. Directions. 3. Self-care. 2. Child-care. 1. Phone calls.

All of these can wait. Concentrate on the trip. Better to miss a call or text than to wind up in the hospital or worse. Get everything in the car the way you want it (or need it ) before you start driving.  Do your best not to get distracted.

 

 

 

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