What Is Causing More Distracted Driving Than Cell Phones?

We all know the dangers of distracted driving, whether it's using a cell phone, eating a burger, putting on make up, or fiddling with the car stereo. Turns out the real danger is kids. A study at Monash University shows that it's actually more dangerous to drive with kids than it is to use a cell phone while driving.The study shows that parents traveling with kids in the car are very distracted, taking their eyes off the road to look in the back seat or in their rear view mirror. Researchers found that children were 12 times more distracting to a driver than if he or she were talking on their cell phone.

Of course, parents have been battling the travel-with-kids thing for decades, so it's not a new problem, only the research is new.

We add it to the list of other distractions that plague us while we are trying to navigate safely down the road.

The other day I saw a lady driving down North Avenue with a cigarette in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and a dog on her lap. Are you kidding me? It's not uncommon on the way to work to see women applying make-up and fixing their hair while they drive. I am telling you, there are accidents out there just waiting to happen.

We can't do anything about having kids in the car, but we can eliminate other distractions like cell phones, doing personal care behind the wheel, and changing CDs in the stereo. Distracting driving causes thousands of deaths every year. We should all make an effort to be less distracted behind the wheel and more focused on our driving. The life we save might be our own.