According to the 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index released by AAA, mobile phone users know they shouldn’t text and drive. Yet many do.

• 95 percent of drivers surveyed admitted concerns about the risks associated with the dumb use of smartphones in the car (texting or e-mailing while driving)
• 93 percent said they were concerned about drinking and driving;
• 87 percent claimed they would support laws against reading or typing while driving.

But check it out. 35 percent admitted they text or read/write emails while driving.

It’s tempting. I know. You’re sitting at a red light so what’s the harm, right? Well, foot off the brake, eyes off the road. The next thing you know you’ve rolled into the intersection.

Distracted driving is a serious issue.

It’s not just the phone, either. Fiddling with the radio, eating, drinking or dealing with children in the backseat can also drive people to distraction.

My power of slow tips for you:

• If you can’t keep your hands off the hand-held, toss it in the trunk. Really.
• Drive without the radio. Just try it to see how focus can help with your safety record.
• If backseat riders get too rowdy, pull over at a nearby rest area or parking lot. Your destination can wait five more minutes. It’s more important that you arrive in one piece.
• Eat at the kitchen table. Your car is not a restaurant.

What challenges do you face to keep your thumbs on the wheel and your eyes on the road?

Related articles

• Distracted Driving: AAA Says Drivers Don’t Practice What They Preach (newyork.cbslocal.com)
• Bid to stop texting at the wheel (autonetinsurance.co.uk)
• Mobile phone danger revealed (telegraph.co.uk)
• Texting While Driving More Dangerous Than Thought (nlm.nih.gov)