Distraction

A billboard with the unusual message of encouraging texting while driving went up this week on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Ontario.

A cop in Minnesota couldn't believe just how distracted one driver was after he pulled him over for reading while driving.

The world is a distracting place. No matter where you are or what you're doing, there are any number of things designed specifically to draw your attention elsewhere. It's true when you're driving, too, which is why automakers like BMW have crafted technologies like lane departure warning.

As always, it ain't the crime, it's the cover-up. In what looks to be Congress protecting its turf, a planned study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on driver distraction – specifically, drivers using cell phones – was put on hold. The reason, according to The New York Times, was allegedly a fear of upsetting the Capitol body. The reason, according to an ex-head of NHTSA, was "to avoid antagonizing members of Congress who had warned the agency to stick t

Satellite navigation systems - click above for high-res image gallery

Many have observed the recent uptick in teenage drivers having accidents while text messaging, often with tragic consequences. Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions have recently carried out research that shows texting to be the list-topping distraction among the more than 900 teens they polled. SADD and Liberty Mutual have been collecting data for seven years about teen behavior, attitudes and decision making while driving. They've amassed a treasure trove of

There was a time when the worst distraction to a driver was either changing the radio station or adjusting the HVAC controls. Now drivers have a few more items to contend with: cell phones; GPS navigation systems, CD changers; satellite radio; iPods; night vision; etc.