David Nieves
September 27, 2008
Dangerous Drivers Habits
Driving down route 278 East bound, with his eyes opened wide as if he saw a pig fly by. One hand is on the wheel, while the other hand is holding his cell phone. I am the passenger in the back seat. The driver on the cell phone is not focusing on the road and his car started speeding. The car in front of him hit their brakes. I was so that scared my life flashed before my eyes. It felt like I went to heaven and said hi to my grandmother and came back. The driver was so into the conversion he was having on the cell phone that he broke too late and ended up hitting his front bumper on the car in front of him. Whether it is talking on a cell phone while driving, eating behind a wheel, falling asleep at the wheel, or tailgating, many of today's drivers have dangerous habits.
AutoTrader.com reports that the number two leading cause in accidents is eating behind a wheel. Many drivers are eating and driving because they are in a hurry and do not have the time to stop and eat. I use to eat and drive at the same time, so I can get to work on time. Every morning I would have a bagel/egg/ketchup and coffee to drink. I remember one morning on my way to work my life was almost over. While eating my bagel a drop of ketchup slipped out of the bagel about to land on my shirt. Without thinking I took my hand off the wheel and grabbed the drop. When I looked up I had passed a red light and almost got hit by another car. If I did not hit my brakes really hard, I would not be here to today. The “drop of death” was one moment I will not forget.
Another dangerous driving habit is when drivers do not get enough sleep. CarInsure.com reports that 28% of accidents are caused by a driver sleeping behind the wheel late at night. A simple action can be taken to stop this. You can reduce the potential for sleepiness incidents if you: recognize sleepiness (head nodding, focus on hood of vehicle rather than road,...