Texting—And 8 Other Things NOT to Do While Driving

A report out this week shows that drivers are 23 times more likely to get into an accident while texting than while not texting. The study, conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, found that in the moments before their accidents, drivers spent an average of five seconds looking away from the road. At highway speeds, that is enough time to cover the length of a football field.

While Driving, Do NOT Talk on the Phone
Unlike texting, talking on the phone provides the considerable benefit of being able to actually watch the road. Nonetheless, distraction can cause accidents. A study by the University of Utah found that drivers talking on cell phones are 18 percent slower to react to brake lights. Another study performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Motorists found that talking on a phone made drivers four times more likely to get into a serious crash. Making handheld calls is already banned in California, Washington, New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, with exceptions for calls using Bluetooth headsets. Just let it go to voice mail.

While Driving, Do NOT Twitter
PCMag.com readers know full well just how awesome Twitter is for fun and shameless self-promotion. (Follow me at @dancosta!) That said, Twittering is texting. And texting kills people. Please RT this.

While Driving, Do NOT Re-plot Your GPS
Most GPS devices have a warning screen that makes you promise not to operate the unit while at speed. And most of us ignore it. Minutes later we have one hand on the wheel and another tapping in street numbers. It doesn't matter how big the screen is, GPSs still require way too many taps to enter an address. And that next tap might be the bumper of the car in front of you.

While Driving, Do NOT Watch TV
It is one thing for the kids to watch SpongeBob in the back seat on the way home from grandmother's house. It is quite another thing when you climb in back with them to see the end of the football game. Not only does the game distract you from ever-changing road conditions, it is also very difficult to reach the pedals from the back seat. This is yet another case where TiVo can save lives.

While Driving, Do NOT Download Copyrighted Music
Just because you love that new Green Day track playing on the radio doesn't mean you should fire up your laptop, load BitTorrrent, and start downloading it. Artists deserve to be paid and now that Apple offers DRM-free tracks on iTunes, it really isn't that much of a hassle. Stealing is wrong at any speed!

While Driving, Do NOT E-file Your Taxes
Online tax preparation and e-filing saves countless hours of frustration, but driving 65 mph down the New York State Thruway is not the best time to do it. Yes, the IRS tends to be very picky about its deadlines, but it is worth waiting until you're in Park. Estimates by tax specialists Dewey, Cheatem & Howe show a significant increase in misfilings by users who prepared their returns while driving.

While Driving, Do NOT Build an AMD-based Gaming PC
I know what you're thinking. Yes, using AMD components will save you a few hundred bucks and you can get a system that has some sweet performance. And it isn't hard to do. Still, spreading that thermal compound over the CPU is a delicate process. And that SUV in the left lane never uses his signal lights.

While Driving, Do NOT Take a Shower
A truck driver in China was recently pulled over for taking a shower in his truck—while driving on the Jinyi expressway. Evidently, his A/C broke and he wanted to stay cool. Researchers are still investigating how showering while driving affects your chances of getting into an accident, but the early results indicate it can't be good. And all that water will play havoc with your dashboard.

Let me be clear, driving while texting is clearly very dangerous. It has nothing to do with the technology, it has to do with the fact that you are taking your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel. That is just dumb. Maybe we need laws to keep us from behaving stupidly, but common sense would be even more useful.

Watch where you're going, people.

More Dan Costa:
• Texting—And 8 Other Things NOT to Do While Driving
• My Palm PREversion
• Windows 7: Is the Price Right?
• Apple's Cheap Tricks
• It's a Great Time to Be in Publishing!
• more