You might think talking on the phone, eating a sandwich or changing the radio station while driving is simply multitasking. But experts consider all of those activities potentially dangerous forms of distracted driving. Distracted drivers are a leading cause of crashes and near-crashes in the United States, causing nearly 3,200 fatalities and more than 430,000 injuries each year.
“Distracted driving affects all of us,” says Elizabeth Lee, M.D., a family medicine physician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. “Despite laws prohibiting cellphone use while a car is moving, we’ve all seen someone texting or talking while driving.”