Keeping your focus on the road can help avoid a lot of common crashes. Louise Goldsbury reports on the top distractions turning the heads of drivers.

So you’re driving along calmly when you suddenly notice that bus shelter ad for the new movie you’ve been wanting to see. You crane your neck to see the opening date, simultaneously flipping open your mobile phone to let your friend know.

They answer and you need to turn down your blaring music, so you cram your mobile under your neck, look down to adjust the volume, accidentally knock over your fries and coke lodged behind the gear shift and… congratulations, you’ve just hit the back of a bus!

NSW Police’s Traffic Services Commander Chief Superintendent John Hartley says there’s little doubt that distracted drivers can cause traffic problems and road crashes.

He says that there are heaps of distractions on the road, including more and more traffic.

“Additionally, drivers now also have to contend with new or more affordable technologies like mobile telephones, MP3 players, CDs and in-car DVDs, which can act as a distraction,” Chief Superintendent Hartley says.

Here are some of the worst driver distractions:

Mobile phones (talking and texting)
Using a mobile while driving can increase the risk of a collision by four times, according to several studies. Sending a text message is even worse.

A hands-free device can also be a distraction, so your best bet is to just turn it off. No conversation is worth a whopping fine, demerit points and possibly a crash.

Adjusting vehicle settings
This is the most common bad driving habit, because many people don’t realise it’s dangerous to fiddle with the radio, air-conditioning or windows.

“Crashes often occur as a result of only a moment’s inattention,” says Hartley.

 “While you’re changing the CD, your full attention isn’t on the road and [it is] placing you at risk of a crash.” The best idea is to make any adjustments before you set off.

Other occupants (human and animal!)
Young drivers have a greater risk of crashing when they have friends in the car.

The stats also tell us that there’s more chance of causing a fatal crash when you have two or more friends in the car, especially male passengers. However, the risk is reduced when carrying an adult or a child, compared with carrying no passengers.

Eating, drinking and smoking
Aside from the obvious dangers of drink-driving, even sipping on a non-alcoholic drink takes your focus off the road. An American study has found that eating a cheeseburger can be more distracting than talking on a mobile. And the risk of causing a crash is just one more reason not to smoke!

External distractions
As if there wasn’t enough happening inside the car, there are lots of things outside too. You have to look out for other drivers and pedestrians, while trying to block out the roadside billboards, shops and all sorts of unexpected or interesting things going on in the streets.

Just remember your priorities, and as The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues goes, “Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel…”

For more information about the research, click here.