What Are the Most Common Types of Distractions While Driving?

June 21, 2025 | By O'Connor Acciani & Levy
What Are the Most Common Types of Distractions While Driving?

If you were injured in a car crash caused by a negligent driver, there’s a good chance that the driver was texting while driving, adjusting their GPS, switching the music on their playlist, or some other activity that stole their attention from the road.

Distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of traffic collisions in the United States. If you’ve ever glanced down to check your phone while driving, you’ve experienced just how easy it is for your attention to slip. But what exactly falls under the category of “distracted driving?” And what are the most common types of distractions while driving?

The answers go far beyond texting. Distractions come in many forms, and each one, no matter how small, can lead to life-altering consequences.

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Key Takeaways

  • Distractions are responsible for thousands of crash-related deaths each year in the U.S.
  • Texting is the most dangerous form of distraction, as it combines visual, manual and cognitive forms of distraction.
  • Cellphone use—both handheld and hands-free—continues to be a leading contributor to crashes.
  • Passengers, eating, GPS, and emotional stress can all take your focus off the road.
  • Teens are particularly vulnerable to distraction, with nearly 60% of their crashes involving it.
  • Even short glances away from the road can have deadly consequences.
  • Safe driving starts with conscious choices and reducing in-car temptations.
  • If you've been injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver, legal help is available to recover your losses.

Why Distracted Driving Is So Dangerous

A male driver in a green jacket is dangerously using a smartphone while driving.

Most people think they can multitask behind the wheel. Unfortunately, research has consistently shown that the human brain can’t truly focus on more than one demanding task at a time. When you drive distracted—even for a few seconds—you significantly increase your chances of crashing.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,275 people died in distraction-related crashes in 2023, averaging nearly nine fatalities every single day. These incidents are entirely preventable and far more common than many realize.

In Ohio and Kentucky, distracted driving laws are becoming stricter. For example, Ohio started enforcing a hands-free law in 2023 that prohibits holding a phone while driving. Kentucky also bans texting while driving and limits cellphone use for novice drivers. Still, laws alone don’t stop distraction; awareness and behavior change are essential.

The Most Common Types of Driving Distractions

Each of these activities can interfere with your ability to drive safely, even if they seem harmless in the moment.

1. Texting or Using a Smartphone

Texting while driving remains the most alarming form of distraction. It combines all three types—visual, manual, and cognitive.

NHTSA reports that sending or reading a text takes the driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

Even hands-free use isn’t risk-free. Studies show that simply talking on a phone—even without holding it—can impair the driver’s reaction time and reduce attention on the road.

2. Talking to Passengers

While it’s natural to chat with friends or family in the car, intense or emotional conversations can shift your mental focus. This is especially true for teenage drivers, who are more likely to be distracted by peer passengers. Talking with friends and goofing around at the wheel are major causes of distracted driver crashes.

3. Adjusting the Radio or Climate Controls

Tuning the radio, adjusting the temperature, or fiddling with infotainment systems may seem like second nature, but they require the driver’s eyes and hands to shift away from the task of driving.

These quick changes become especially risky when traffic is heavy or road conditions are poor. A safer approach is to set everything up before you begin driving and pull over when something needs to be adjusted.

4. Eating and Drinking

One-handed driving is common, but it’s also dangerous. From coffee spills to dropped fast food, any interruption that requires reaching or cleaning can cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles.

Eating behind the wheel leads to slower reaction times and increases the likelihood of missing critical events, like a pedestrian stepping into the street or the vehicle ahead suddenly stopping.

5. Reaching for Objects

Looking for your sunglasses, grabbing a tissue, or trying to catch a falling object may only take a second, but during that time, you’re not fully in control of your vehicle. If you must retrieve something, pull over safely and then resume driving.

According to a study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, reaching for a moving object increases the risk of a crash by 8.8 times.

6. Rubbernecking

Slowing down to stare at a crash, a roadside stop, or any event off to the side of the road is known as “rubbernecking.” It’s a natural reflex, but it significantly diverts attention and often causes secondary collisions.

Even if traffic is already slowed, keeping your eyes ahead and maintaining a safe following distance is crucial.

7. Using Navigation Devices

A man using mobile for navigation while driving

Relying on GPS is a part of modern life, but typing an address while driving can be just as risky as texting. Even glancing at a navigation screen diverts attention from the road.

Drivers should input their destination before leaving, and if changes are needed mid-route, pull over or ask a passenger to assist.

8. Grooming or Applying Makeup

Shaving, brushing hair, or applying makeup might seem like quick tasks, especially during a busy morning. But attempting these activities while driving takes attention away from the road and significantly increases the risk of a crash.

9. Emotional Distress

Anger, sadness, or extreme excitement can reduce one’s awareness of what’s happening on the road. The driver’s mind may be preoccupied, and their body may respond with an increased heart rate or tension.

Cognitive distractions like these are harder to measure but are just as dangerous. Driving while emotionally upset can lead to impulsive or aggressive decisions behind the wheel.

10. Pets or Moving Objects in the Car

An unrestrained pet or an object sliding across a seat can grab the driver’s attention when they least expect it. A barking dog jumping between seats or a buzzing insect can easily cause the driver to swerve or lose focus.

The best way to avoid this risk is to keep pets restrained and cargo secured while driving.

Who Is Most at Risk for Distracted Driving?

While distracted driving affects everyone, certain groups face a higher risk, either due to behavior patterns, limited experience, or frequent exposure to high-stress driving environments.

Teen Drivers

Teenagers remain the most at-risk demographic when it comes to distraction behind the wheel. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, and more than 58% of teen crashes involve some form of distracted driving.

Peer influence, inexperience, and a growing dependence on smartphones all contribute to the problem.

Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws in both Ohio and Kentucky place restrictions on phone use and the number of passengers for new drivers. These laws are critical, but they only work when enforced and when families prioritize driving education.

Adult Drivers

While car accidents are the leading cause of death in teens, many adults often assume they’re safer simply because they have more experience. Yet a staggering 80% of adult drivers admit to distracted driving behaviors, including texting, eating, and using GPS. For working professionals, multitasking has become second nature—an ingrained habit that unfortunately follows them into the car.

Driver attention is also heavily influenced by stress, fatigue, and emotional strain. Distracted driving isn't just a teen problem; it’s a cultural problem that spans every age group.

Commercial Drivers

Commercial truck drivers and delivery drivers face unique risks. Long hours, constant deliveries, and employer expectations to remain reachable contribute to a high rate of distraction-related crashes in this group. Employers have a duty to implement and enforce clear policies to reduce distracted driving among their drivers.

Some businesses have begun using telematics and in-vehicle monitoring systems to track distractions. Still, technology alone won’t solve the issue. Education, training, and accountability are necessary to truly change behavior.

How State Laws Address Distracted Driving

Across the country, laws about cellphone use and distracted driving vary widely. Ohio and Kentucky are among the states that have taken recent measures to address this growing safety concern.

Ohio’s Distracted Driving Law

Ohio enacted a statewide hands-free law that prohibits drivers from holding or using a cellphone or electronic device while driving. This includes texting, streaming, and even dialing unless using hands-free technology.

Key points include:

  • Law enforcement can issue citations as a primary offense
  • Penalties include fines and possible license suspension for repeat violations
  • Drivers are permitted to use hands-free systems, but cannot manually enter text or hold a device

This law represents a major step toward reducing distraction-related crashes. Early enforcement data shows a notable reduction in handheld phone use on Ohio roads.

Kentucky’s Distracted Driving Law

Distracted driving law and gavel on a desk.

Kentucky law bans texting while driving for all drivers and prohibits all cellphone use for drivers under the age of 18. However, the state does not yet ban handheld phone use for adult drivers, a measure that road safety advocates continue to push for.

That said, some localities within Kentucky have passed more restrictive ordinances, and efforts are ongoing to move toward a comprehensive hands-free law statewide.

Violators of Kentucky’s texting law can face fines and points on their license. And in any personal injury case, evidence of phone use can be powerful when establishing liability.

How Employers, Parents, and Communities Help

Fixing the problem of distracted driving will require more than just traffic laws. It takes a community-wide effort from parents and employers to schools, insurers, and local officials.

Employers

Organizations that employ drivers, whether full-time, part-time, or occasionally for company errands, should establish a formal distracted driving policy. This may include:

  • Prohibiting handheld phone use while driving
  • Encouraging hands-free or voice-activated systems only when absolutely necessary
  • Mandating pull-over policies for calls, texts, or navigation input
  • Regular employee training and vehicle safety audits

Some businesses offer driver safety apps and incentives for safe behavior. Others use GPS-based systems to track distraction-related events.

Parents and Educators

Leading by example starts with parents and educators modeling distraction-free driving themselves. Young drivers are influenced more by what they see than what they hear.

Parents should create rules that prohibit phone use, fast food, or passenger distractions in the car. Encourage teens to use Do Not Disturb features on their phones and to speak up when their friends drive distracted.

Educators can also integrate distracted driving education into driver’s ed courses or school-wide safety campaigns. Interactive presentations and simulation tools can help students see the real impact of momentary distractions.

Community Outreach

Local communities play a key role in shaping behavior. Through signage, law enforcement visibility, and public education campaigns—especially during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month—cities and towns can reduce risky behavior.

Public service announcements, local media coverage, and community events all help elevate the conversation around distraction and road safety.

Why Distracted Driving Cases Are So Difficult to Prove

Unlike DUI or speeding, distracted driving often leaves no obvious evidence. Unless a driver admits they were texting or a witness confirms it, it’s challenging to prove fault based on distraction alone.

However, modern technology is starting to fill in the gaps. Cellphone records, vehicle black box data, surveillance footage, and app usage logs can all serve as evidence in civil or criminal cases. For accident victims, working with an experienced personal injury attorney is critical.

Legal teams can subpoena phone records, interview witnesses, and collaborate with accident reconstruction experts to determine the true cause of a crash. Without that legal support, victims may be left with limited compensation from insurers who often downplay distraction claims.

If a Distracted Driver Injured You, Call O’Connor, Acciani & Levy For a Free Consultation

Distracted driving accidents are traumatic, both physically and emotionally. You may be dealing with injuries, medical bills, time away from work, or worse—the loss of a loved one. At times like these, you need more than a statistic. You need a team that takes your case seriously and treats you like a human being, not just a file.

At O'Connor, Acciani & Levy, we’ve spent over 30 years helping people injured by negligence in Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Our attorneys understand how to investigate distracted driving crashes, gather evidence, and hold the at-fault driver and their insurer accountable for their actions.

You pay nothing upfront. Our firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning you don’t owe us anything unless we successfully resolve your case. We offer free consultations to help you understand your options and protect your rights.

If you’ve been injured in Cincinnati, Columbus or elsewhere in the Tri-State area, let us step in, handle the legal process, and pursue the compensation you deserve while you focus on healing.

Call O'Connor, Acciani & Levy today at (513) 241-7111 or contact us online to schedule your free case review.  It is our pleasure to serve your interests.

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