Driver distractions — Kentucky Permit Test

A distraction is anything that takes a driver's attention away from driving, and it can cause crashes resulting in injury, death or property damage.

The definition is deliberately wide, because the dangerous part is the attention leaving, not the object it went to.

Simply put, a distraction is anything that takes your attention away from driving.

Visual distraction is a task that requires the driver to look away from the roadway to get information.

The three kinds of distraction are named separately because a driver can be caught by one without noticing the others.

Visual Distraction – Tasks that require the driver to look away from the roadway to visually obtain information;

Manual distraction is a task that requires the driver to take one or both hands off the steering wheel.

Hands off the wheel means the car goes where it was pointed rather than where it is steered.

Manual Distraction – Tasks that require the driver to take one or both hands off the steering wheel to manipulate a control, device

Cognitive distraction is the mental workload of a task that involves thinking about something other than driving.

A driver can be looking straight ahead with both hands on the wheel and still not be driving the car.

Cognitive distraction – Tasks that are defined as the mental workload associated with a task that involves thinking about something other than the driving task.

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, which at 55 mph is the length of an entire football field.

A hundred yards with nobody looking is the part of a text message a driver never feels.

Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds

Texting is especially concerning because it combines visual, manual and cognitive functions.

It is the one activity that takes all three kinds of attention at once, which is why it stands out.

Texting is especially concerning because it combines visual, manual, and cognitive functions.

Reaching for a phone, dialing and texting increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times.

Three times the risk, for a task most drivers think takes no attention at all.

According to another study, engaging in visual-manual subtasks (such as reaching for a phone, dialing and texting) associated with the use of hand-held phones and other portable devices increased the risk of getting into a crash by three times.

Kentucky tells drivers to secure pets properly in a pet carrier or portable kennel.

A loose animal moves at the worst moment, and reaching for it is what causes the crash.

Properly secure pets in a pet carrier or portable kennel.

How does Kentucky define a distraction?

Anything that takes your attention away from driving. The definition is deliberately wide, because the dangerous part is the attention leaving, not the object it went to. Kentucky Driver Manual, p.23: “Simply put, a distraction is anything that takes your attention away from driving.”