These days you see more cell phones than ever, and many of them will be on the ears of people behind the wheel of an automobile. Some of these phones and their owners will wind up in car crashes, but don't be too quick to blame the cell phone. Blame the drivers who use them in the wrong place at the wrong time, allowing conversations to divert their attention from the road. "Hands-free devices make it easy to eliminate reaching and dialing, but it's not about having your hands free," said Rich White, a spokesman for the Car Care Council. "It's about having your mind free to concentrate on driving. It's best to pull off the road, or even better, call back later." There are a variety of other situations that can distract motorists, whether they're en route to their vacation destination, or simply driving across town. Many of these can be addressed with little or no money. Examples include:
Determine what annoyances you can fix yourself and which ones need professional attention, says the Car Care Council . Take care of them as soon as possible; to delay could mean an accident waiting to happen. |