The Seven Biggest Driving Mistakes

By Kristin Bailey Murphy

Most parents think it will never happen to them, yet thousands of car accidents occur each year. According to the National Highway Safety Transportation Agency (NHSTA), 8,000 U.S. children die in auto-related accidents yearly -- which means over 20 kids die on American roads every single day. To decrease the odds of your own children becoming future car-wreck casualties, we've listed the top seven behaviors you should avoid at all costs when you're behind the wheel.

1. Allowing Your Child to Ride Unrestrained  Although all 50 states have strict child safety-seat laws, this doesn't mean everyone is buckling up their kids. "You'd be surprised how many parents drive around without their kids strapped in," says Eric Bolton, a spokesman for the NHSTA. But even if you do restrain your children in your cars, a recent study conducted by the NHSTA found that 80 percent of parents do so incorrectly. Studies show that four out of five parents unintentionally make mistakes with car seats that could result in their child being injured or killed in an accident.

WHAT TO DO: Never allow your children to ride in a car without the proper safety restraint in place. "The safest place for a child age 12 or under and under 59 pounds is in a properly installed, age- and height-appropriate car seat or booster seat in the back of the vehicle," says Bolton. "It's a good idea for all families to take their cars in for a safety-seat check-up as well." Most local police stations offer this service free of charge. "You don't want to discover after an accident that you had your child in a seat that wasn't installed correctly," Bolton continues.

2. Using a Cell Phone While Driving If you're cruising down any road in the United States, chances are you'll see drivers around you chatting on their cells. According to the NHTSA, an estimated 10 percent of all motorists chat on their cell phones while driving. Since cell phone use is one of the most dangerous distractions for drivers, Bolton says you are essentially putting your family at risk every time you pick up your cell to make a call.

WHAT TO DO: The NHTSA is clear on this: Only use cell phones when you absolutely have to. "You should have a cell phone with you in your car," says Bolton, "but you should only use it in emergencies." That goes for hands-free phones as well. "If you're talking on a phone while driving, there's going to be cognitive impairment regardless of the kind of phone you have," Bolton says. "If you're involved in a conversation, you're not going to be able to drive a car as safely, period."  For those times when you have to make a call while driving, make sure you've pre-programmed certain numbers in your phone, so that you don't have to do more dialing than necessary.

3. Disciplining from the Driver's Seat  Sibling squabbles or temper tantrums erupting from your pint-sized passengers is a common distraction for parents behind the wheel. "I've had so many near-wrecks when my kids are fighting in the back seat," confesses Lisa Brown, 37, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. "I'm trying to be a referee and a chauffeur at the same time -- but I know turning around to split them apart while I'm driving puts us all at risk on the road."

WHAT TO DO: While you can't always prevent this kind of misbehavior in your kids, you can change how you react to it. The roar coming from the back seat is distracting enough, so never take more attention from the road by turning around (or repeatedly glancing in the rearview mirror) to deal with the situation.  "If the kids are out of control, get out of the traffic zone and into a safe place before trying to calm them down," says Bolton. "And if you're on the highway, never pull over on the side of the road. Get off on the nearest exit and get to a rest stop or parking lot to regroup."

4. Driving Drowsy When you're a parent, you're no stranger to sleep deprivation. After all, what card-carrying mommy or daddy hasn't stayed up all night with a sick child at least once or twice? But driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes, according to a 2006 study done by the NHTSA and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). "This important research illustrates the potentially dire consequences that can occur while driving distracted or drowsy," says Jacqueline Glassman, acting administrator of the NHTSA. "It's crucial that drivers be fully alert when on the road." Drowsiness causes auto crashes because it impairs performance and can ultimately lead drivers to fall asleep behind the wheel. That's what happened to Joan Frazier, 34, of Balwin Park, California. She was driving home after a long day at an amusement park with her two small children when she nodded off behind the wheel. "Thankfully, I woke up when my car brushed the median, and I pulled over and called my best friend to come get us," she recalls. "But I was well aware the situation could have been much, much worse -- or even deadly."

WHAT TO DO: First of all, do your best to get enough sleep. However, if you haven't gotten enough shut-eye lately but are still forced to take the wheel, it's important to stay as alert as possible. Drink coffee, turn on the windshield wipers, crank the radio, or blast the air conditioning to awaken your senses. "If you still feel tired, safely pull off the road and check into a motel, or go to a friend's house to get yourself revived -- whatever it takes," advises Bolton.

5. Giving in to Road Rage  As much as we'd like to prevent little ears from hearing us rant and rave at other drivers, sometimes we just can't help ourselves. After all, the roads are overflowing with inconsiderate drivers who routinely run red lights, slam their brakes on without warning or drift into the next lane without signaling first -- and it's hard (if not impossible) to curb your anger when one of these reckless drivers jeopardizes your own safety. But by giving in to road rage, you're jeopardizing your safety, too. The NHTSA estimates that aggressive driving accounts for about one-third of all crashes and about two-thirds of the resulting fatalities in those accidents.

WHAT TO DO: Drivers can cope by not taking traffic problems personally. Allow yourself plenty of time to get to your destination, since running late can escalate road rage. Don't compete with other drivers. When another driver makes your blood boil, take a few deep breaths. Count to ten. Play calming classical music. Try your best to put things into perspective. Is someone excessively riding the brakes or tailgating you really worth risking your life -- or your children's lives --over? Never allow yourself to get so heated up that you're distracted from the important job at hand: safely getting you and your family to its destination. On the flip side, if you're the object of someone else's road rage, the worst thing you can do is provoke an aggressive driver -- especially when you have your kids in the car. Bolton warns never to engage this kind of driver.  "Don't make eye contact," he advises. "Slow down and, if necessary, pull off the highway into a heavily populated area to get away from him."

6. Reaching for a Dropped Item According to Bolton, reaching for an item while driving is one of the most dangerous activities you can engage in and should be avoided at all costs. The NHTSA estimates that 25 percent of all crashes involve some form of driver distraction, such as reaching for a dropped sippy cup, book or toy in the back seat. Any time you take a hand off the wheel and your eyes off the road, you're putting yourself -- and others -- at risk.

WHAT TO DO: When your child begs you to get his favorite stuffed animal or book or toy that he dropped on the floorboard, calmly explain that you can't reach the toy while you're driving and ask him to wait patiently until you get to your destination. If your child's repeated requests evolve into a full-blown meltdown, safely pull off the road, fetch the dropped toy, then wait for the tantrum to subside before getting back on the road. "Parents have to condition themselves not to reach for anything, even if their instincts are telling them to go ahead and get it," says Bolton. If you don't think you have enough time to pull over for the item, just think about how much more time that would be swallowed up if you caused a fender bender or a serious accident.

7. Allowing Your Child to Ride up Front  It's a frequent misconception that children can safely ride in the front seat if they're in a car seat or if they're old enough to have outgrown a booster seat. However, no child under the age of 13 should ever ride in the front seat under any circumstances. "That's a big no-no because of the air bags," says Bolton. Air bags are standard in most new cars and they have saved many lives. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, they are dangerous to children 12 and under and can cause serious neck and brain injury or even death.

WHAT TO DO: If your child is 12 or under, put her in the back seat. "If your vehicle doesn't have a rear seat," says Bolton, "children riding in the front should be properly restrained and positioned 10-12 inches back from the airbag." That means sliding the seat back as far as it will go. Some cars come with air bag on/off switches. Turn the air bag off only if your child is riding in front because of special health care needs or because your car has no back seat.

Kristin Bailey Murphy is a writer, editor, and mother of two who lives (and drives) in North Hollywood, California.

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