Beware the driver in a car gesticulating wildly and talking in an agitated manner to no one in particular. He may not be drunk, but he is having a conversation on his mobile phone.

Distracted drivers

In the United States, a long commute between home and office every day is the norm. Not surprisingly, many drivers use that time on the road to get things done like eating breakfast, applying make-up, reading the newspaper or listening to an audio book, besides talking on their phones.

Although various hands-free solutions exist to allow drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel, it is the conversations themselves that keeps them distracted.

In a 2006 study done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, driver inattention was found to be the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes in the US.

Nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

Here are some of the key findings of the study:

• The most common distraction for drivers is the use of mobile phones. The number of crashes and near-crashes attributable to dialling is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening.
• Reaching for a moving object increases the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times; reading by three times; applying make-up by three times; dialling a hand-held device (typically a phone) by almost three times; and talking or listening on a hand-held device by 1.3 times.
• Drowsy drivers are four times as likely to have a crash or near-crash.

In Singapore

It is not an offence to answer a call using a hands-free kit or a speakerphone, but it will be an offence if three things are going on at the same time: the vehicle is in motion; the driver is holding onto the phone with one hand while driving; and the driver is communicating with that phone while driving. Communicating includes making a call, paging someone or sending a text message.

There is no specific ban against eating or smoking while driving. However, the Traffic Police can still take action against drivers who fail to maintain proper control of the vehicle while doing any of the above.

Driven to distraction?

If any of the situations below have ever happened to you, it may have been because you were distracted at the wheel:

• Your passenger screamed because of something you did or didn't do.
• You had no idea you went through a red light.
• You swerved suddenly to avoid hitting a car or road hazard.
• You did an emergency brake because you weren’t aware the car in front had stopped.
• You drifted unknowingly into another lane.

Tell yourself it will never happen again and use some common sense to keep the roads safer for everyone.

• Keep the newspaper or other distracting materials out of sight.
• Do your personal grooming at home.
• Consult the map before you drive off.
• Postpone complex or emotional conversations on the phone or with passengers until you arrive at your destination.