Gather a group of drivers together and chances are very good they will agree on one thing: today’s drivers are a distracted bunch, and the roadways are more dangerous because of it. You might also get some of them to agree that they themselves are guilty of driving while distracted—using their cell phones, eating, reading, looking at the scenery, etc.

What is the scope of the problem?  One recent comprehensive study, conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showed that driver inattention is a pervasive problem. The study used in-vehicle cameras to track 100 vehicles and 241 drivers over a period of one year.  During this period, the drivers in the study were involved in 82 crashes, 761 near-crashes, and 8,295 critical incidents. Nearly 80 percent of the crashes and 65 percent of the near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, driver inattention is estimated to be a factor in more than one million crashes in North America annually. These crashes result in serious injuries, death, and an economic impact that some experts estimate to reach nearly $40 billion annually.

What is driver inattention? NHTSA broadly defines driver inattention as any point in time that a driver looks away from the forward roadway, engages in a secondary task, such as reaching for an object, or is moderately or severely drowsy.

Reaching for an object inside the vehicle is among the most dangerous activities, increasing your crash risk nine times.  Driving while drowsy increases your risk four to six times. Taking your eyes off the road to look at external objects, reading or dialing a cell phone increases your risk roughly three to four times.

If crashes related to distraction and inattentiveness are to be prevented, drivers need to set priorities. Vehicle control and situational awareness must be given the highest priority. Above all, drivers should realize that inattentive driving, no matter what the cause, has the potential to result in a serious accident.

Every driver has the ability to limit distractions while driving. Here are a few priorities for all drivers:

• To prevent objects from moving around in your vehicle, secure them prior to moving the vehicle. If something does fall, do not react impulsively. Pull over to a safe place to park to correct the situation. Place items you may need in close proximity so you will not have to over-reach for them.

• Sightseeing increases your odds of a crash by 3.7 times. Driving requires your full attention. If you must take your eyes away from the road in front of you, limit your glances to one second, and never longer than two seconds.

• Reading, selecting music, and eating are examples of dangerous distractions that should be taken care of before putting your vehicle in motion.

• While cell phones have become a necessary tool for many professional drivers, they are a major distraction and should not be used while driving. A study by The New England Journal of Medicine found the following: using a cellular telephone was associated with a risk of having a motor vehicle collision that was about four times as high as that among the same drivers when they were not using their cellular telephones. This relative risk is similar to the hazard associated with driving with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit. If you have a cell phone, you should turn it off or set it to roll-over to voice mail.Find a safe place to park before responding to a call.

Drivers who are fatigued are less attentive. The NHTSA study found that drowsy driving accounted for approximately 23% of crashes and near crashes. Driving while moderately or severely drowsy increases your crash risk by nearly six times.  Drowsy driving can occur during the day as well as at night. Drivers should get plenty of rest to ensure they are not fatigued. If you are too tired to drive, pull over to a safe place to park and get some rest.