Cause Of Distracted Driving

Each year many drivers and passengers are killed in car crashes because of distracted driving.
“In 2014, 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in distraction-related car accidents”("Listening to Radio Can Lead to Distracted Driving.").Distracted driving is very dangerous and it includes things like taking your eyes off the road, taking your hand off the wheel, or talking and not really focusing on driving.Although it is easy for people to take their hands off the wheel while driving, Distracted driving is a social issue that causes many crashes every year and some of the main distractions during driving are eating or drinking, using the radio, and other passengers in the car.

Eating and drinking while driving is one of many causes of distracted driving.Eating and drinking is a manual distraction which makes the driver take their hands off the wheel(“Eating While Driving”).This is a distraction that most people do everyday which is can cause many crashes.“A driver who is drinking or eating is 3.6 times more likely to be in an automobile crash than attentive drivers who are not eating or drinking while driving”(“Eating While Driving” ).This shows that eating and drinking is a main cause for distracted driving.Eating and drinking while driving can impair a driver's focus which can cause many crashes every day.

Another cause of distracted driving is using the radio.Listening to the radio can mess up or impair a drivers concentration(“Listening to the Radio can lead to Distracted Driving”).Just taking your eyes off the road for one second can cause a car accident.“At any given moment, more than 600,000 drivers are manipulating electronic devices like radios”(“Listening to the radio can lead to distracted driving”).Drivers have to look down to change a radio station which makes a distraction for them.People that use the radio while driving a having a manual distraction and messes up hearing which makes them lose focus around them.

Passengers in the car are also a cause of distracted driving.Two or more people in the car with a teen driver behind the wheel can triple the risk of a car accident(“Passengers as Deadly Distractions”).Passengers can distract the driver especially if they are young or a teen driver.
Research has shown that a male driver is more likely to make an illegal move while driving with a peer or passenger than when driving alone(“Passengers as Deadly Distractions”).With friend in the car, teen drivers are likely to play around which can put everyone in danger, even people outside of the car.
Passengers are just one distraction that makes it harder for a driver to focus while on the road.

In conclusion, eating and drinking is a manual and visual distraction that makes the driver take one of there hands off the wheel.Using the radio is a cognitive and manual distraction that make the driver lose focus on the road and can cause many crashes each day.Also, having passengers in the car, especially with a teen driver behind the wheel, is a main cause of distracted driving.
Distracted driving is a social issue that causes many crashes every year and the main distractions during driving are eating or drinking, using the radio, and other passengers in the car.Research has shown that there is many crashes every year for distracted driving and many of the causes are from eating, drinking, radios, and passengers. This shows how distracted driving is a very important social issue that many people should be more aware of.