We are supposed to devote our complete attention to driving safely, when behind the wheel of an automobile. Everyone knows this – we have all heard a tragic story or two about someone becoming distracted to the point of injury or death, yet many of us still consciously continue to allow ourselves to become sidetracked while driving.

Even the safest of drivers have at one time or another found themselves distracted by something that has taken either their eyes, or their mind, off the road and have put themselves/others at risk in the process.

Did you know that driver distractions are the leading cause of most vehicle crashes and near-crashes? The top 10 actions (alphabetically) that cause distraction while driving are:

Applying makeup or shaving.
Cell phone use – this includes text messaging.
Driving with a pet in your lap.
Eating or drinking, while driving.
Electronics – Fiddling with the radio station, CDs, iPod, or GPS.
Reading a map, book (yes, it happens), newspaper, or anything else.
Reaching for something.
Rubbernecking – looking at an accident or event along the side of the road.
Smoking.
Working – Business calls, writing or using laptop.

If not for listing these alphabetically, cell phone use/texting would have been listed as today’s number one distraction. It has become such a huge problem, that many states are adopting laws banning the use of cell phones while driving.

The solution is very simple. None of the above distractions are worth risking your life. Texting can wait. Talking can wait. Do your make-up and shaving at home, or in the bathroom when you reach your destination. Stop somewhere to eat. If you need to do something so badly that it cannot wait, then pull off of the road to a safe place before doing it. Simple.

Whether they want to admit it or not, all adult drivers have been guilty of one or more offenses listed above, which is often the reason young drivers pick up the bad habits. We should always remember to lead by example when driving with our teens, or our bad practices could come back to haunt us in the future.

It really does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why young drivers have higher car insurance premiums. Every year we hear about the crash statistics of teenage drivers, and they aren’t pretty. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 16-year-old drivers get into accidents approximately six times more often than drivers over 30 years of age, so it is no surprise that this age group is more expensive to insure.

The cost of car insurance is primarily based upon risk, and the percentage of risk is calculated from statistics. Those statistics show that accident claims by young drivers are higher than those of drivers over the age of 25.

Insurance companies combine the age risk factor along with other stats like the sex of the driver, their marital status, the type of vehicle driven and where they live, to determine the premium for drivers.

While young drivers are a risk because of their inexperience, there are still some things that they can do to cut their risk factor. Keeping up good grades (B or higher) and taking defensive driving courses are two actions that can result in cheaper car insurance for young drivers. Their choice of automobile will also play a part in the price quote.

Continually practicing safe driving will help to keep a good track record with your insurance and will eventually warrant a better policy rate. Teens should do their best to avoid distractions while driving – texting, playing with the radio and talking on the cell phone takes your focus off of the road and other drivers. Just one accident can send premiums skyrocketing.