ORLANDO, Fla. – Texting and driving oftentimes is blamed for distracted driving, but it’s not the only thing that can take your attention from the road.
Anything that takes your attention away from the road and your surroundings contributes to distracted driving, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
According to the FDHSMV, one in seven crashes involve distracted drivers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines distracted driving as the following:
- Texting or talking on the phone
- Eating or drinking
- Talking with other passengers
- Changing your music or adjusting your navigation system
And the NHTSA breaks it into three different categories:
- Cognitive - thinking about anything other than driving
- Examples: Daydreaming, kids in the car, talking to others
- Visual - taking your eyes off the road
- Examples: Looking at your navigation/phone, checking your appearance in mirror
- Manual - taking your hands off the wheel
- Examples: Changing music, eating, drinking, texting or applying makeup
Driving while distracted could also lead to violations, such as careless driving, aggressive careless driving or failing to stay in your lane.
Aggressive careless driving is speeding, unsafe or improper lane change, following another car too closely, failing to yield the right of way, improper passing or violating traffic signals or devices.
Penalties for distracted driving range from points on your driver’s license to fines and court fees.
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