According to data collected by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), there are about four cell-phone related crashes every day in Virginia – a total of 1,628 so far this year – but that’s not all that is distracting drivers.
There are actually three other distractions that according to the DMV distract drivers more than cell phones. The top distractions are drivers who don’t keep their eyes on the road, tired drivers, and “rubbernecking” drivers (drivers looking at incidents on the side of the road).
The Virginia DMV lists the following as the Top Ten Driver Distractions:
- Eyes not on road
- Driver fatigue
- Looking at roadside incident
- Cell phone use
- Passengers
- Daydreaming
- Radio/CD, etc.
- Looking at scenery
- Adjusting vehicle controls tied with Eating/drinking
These distractions are one of the reasons that the number of rear-end crashes on Virginia roads are on the rise. Any time a driver is not paying attention to the road, there is an increased chance that he or she will crash into the back of the vehicle in front.
The federal government and Virginia lawmakers have been examining the issue of distracted driving, and even though it is not the number one distraction cell phone use is getting a lot of attention. Virginia most recently passed laws restricting the sending and receiving of text messages and email by drivers, and some lawmakers want to similarly ban the use of cell phones behind the wheel.